Fighting the Good Fight
by WhyWhatShutup
Summary: A challenge by Shin Wal-New Moon. RK/IY crossover. Kagome loses and gains everything but someone to love. After she takes part in the Meiji restoration, what will happen? Pairings are not up for vote. Chap 4 is M for violence, but overall story is T.
1. Who Am I Now?

"#1: Rurouni Kenshin/Inuyasha: Kagome/Kenshin OR Kagome/Sanosuke, the rest of pairing doesn't matter

"**#1: **Rurouni Kenshin/Inuyasha: Kagome/Kenshin OR Kagome/Sanosuke, the rest of pairing doesn't matter

as long as there is no Yuri or Yaoi. I don't care if it's AU or not but please, NO Inuyasha's betrayal.

It can be a one shot or continuous story.

Set after Final Battle, Kagome is a wonderer. The rest is up to you"

This is a fanfic challenge by Shin Wal-New Moon. I was not planning on this until I read about the challenge in their profile, so please be gentle in your reviews. Constructive criticism is appreciated, as are ideas. However, flames are not.

Bows Arigato for reading!

Kagome stumbled away from the battlefield, away from the bodies of her friends. The final battle was over, with her as the only surviving victor.

'No,' she thought bitterly, 'The Shikon Jewel won this.'

Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Inuyasha had all been killed, as had Naraku. But their souls had not been permitted to go on to the afterlife. Instead, they had been taken in by the jewel that had once again become a part of Kagome's body when it had become whole.

Before, his death, Inuyasha had taken all but one of the shards from Naraku and Koga had soon given his to her as well. Holding, the jewel in her cupped hands, Kagome had willed it together again. In a flash of pink, it was nearly whole.

Then Sango and Miroku had been killed by a well-aimed thrash of Naraku's tentacles.

"NO!!" Kagome had screamed. Distracted by her shout, Inuyasha had turned and had his own life taken as well.

"Koga…. Get Kagome… the shard…" he had said with his dying breath. And Koga had obeyed, lunging and tearing and entire chunk of flesh from Naraku before tossing it to Kagome.

Her trembling fingers had dug through as Koga held Naraku off. She had completed the jewel and there was a flash of pink light.

When she looked up, all she could see were blue and purple orbs floating around. Two blue where Sango and Miroku had been with a purple nearby, where Shippo's too-young body had lain. And three purple where Inuyasha, Koga, and Naraku had just fallen. One by one, the jewel sucked them in, pausing for a moment after each. The last had a hint of black that was purified the closer it got to Kagome.

When the jewel was finished it floated from Kagome's hands, glowed pink a moment and shot at her. Then she was consumed by a searing, burning pain.

The pain seemed endless and she floated in a sea of red. Minutes, hours, days, years could have passed; she wouldn't have known. The pain consumed her and defined who she was. Higurashi Kagome, seventeen-year-old miko. But then the lines began to blur.

Was she Kagome? Or was she Sango, twenty-year-old orphan demon slayer? Or Miroku, twenty-two-year-old perverted monk in love with Sango? Or Shippo, orphaned fox demon, or Onigumo, thief, or Koga, wolf-prince, or Inuyasha, hanyo?

Did it matter? Maybe she was all, maybe she was one.

Or was she Midoriko, or the demons she had fought?

Maybe she was the Shikon no Tama, all of these combined.

Or maybe she was Kagome and now she had everything these people had once had. Their memories, their feelings, their skills and instincts and knowledge.

But she was still Kagome. She was still pure and good and clumsy Kagome, who had loved Inuyasha and never quite gotten over it. Who had seen Shippo as her son and always wished he could call her "mommy." Who had loved Sango as her best friend and sister and seen Miroku as a great friend and confident and wanted his happiness to be with Sango. Kagome who had hoped that Sango and Miroku's children would one day call her "Aunt Kagome."

And then she awoke. In reality, only seconds had passed. And in the span of those short and endless seconds, Kagome gained lifetimes of knowledge.

She knew how to fight, she knew how to steal. She knew how to pray and draw ofuda and stand up for herself and love and wield Tetsusaiga and sell her soul and carve a Hiraikotsu and so many things she had never known. All at the cost of her loved ones' lives.

So Kagome began to run, but she was too weak. So she stumbled, fell, crawled- anything to get away. She made her way to the well, where Naraku had surprised her and her friends.

And then Kagome stopped and stared and wept. The well was in ruins. There was no way for her to get through. She was stuck in the past. With this realization, Kagome collapsed.

She sat there through the night, unable to force herself to move. To her surprise, no demons came for her. Nothing ate her.

The next morning, she took Tetsusaiga, Hiraikotsu, Miroku's staff, and Koga's sword and left.

For weeks she wandered, not eating, not drinking. She realized that she wasn't going to die from her fast, only suffer. And so she ate. Then she went to the mountains near Edo and found a cave and fell asleep.

For three-hundred years. She slept until she was only a half-forgotten legend and the demons that had once ruled the fears and nightmares of humans went into hiding and also became legends.

Kagome knew she slept. She knew because as she slept, she trained with the souls housed in the Shikon no Tama. None of her friends blamed her for their deaths, though she herself did.

What Kagome did not know was that as she slept, she froze time in the cave around her. She did not age and neither did the weapons or the stone.

"No, Kagome, your stance is all wrong," Sango said. "Try to throw the Hiraikotsu like that and see what happens."

Kagome tried and fell on her face, to the amusement of all around her. Naraku's red eyes shined with mirth as he watched and laughed. Inuyasha glared at him, but it was nothing unusual. Kagome and Naraku had forgiven one another, but Inuyasha still hated him.

"Ok, ok, I get it," Kagome muttered. "No need to laugh at the stupid mortal-ish person…"

Hiraikotsu was the only weapon she had not yet mastered. She just couldn't seem to get used to the bulk and weight. However, she was learning. Over the years, she had mastered hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship, the use of her miko powers, slight-of-hand, the Tetsusaiga, and everything else her teachers had thrown at her.

"Sango," a woman's voice said. They all turned toward it, knowing already that it was Midoriko. "Perhaps the Hiraikotsu is not meant to be used as a weapon by Kagome. I believe the time has come for her to awaken and test her new knowledge."

"Pfft, new." Kagome looked up at the elder miko in curiosity. "When am I going to wake up though? I mean, what year?"

"It is the Bakumatsu era, the Meiji Revolution. When you awake, do as you wish, but I urge you to take a part in our country's history," Midoriko answered.

"I'm supposed to fight in the Meiji Revolution!" Kagome squeaked.

"What're you worried about, you had the best teachers around." Inuyasha said confidently.

"Or not around, as the case may be," Miroku chimed in.

"Don't worry, Kagome-chan, you can do it. You've been training for three-hundred years," Sango reassured her.

"Alright," Kagome said as she took a deep breath, "I'll do it." And she awoke.

Everything around her was the same, and yet she herself was profoundly different. She looked at Miroku's staff and the Hiraikotsu before hiding them carefully. She slipped Koga's sword and the Tetsusaiga through her sash and stepped from the cave into a completely different Japan.

Eventually, Kagome found her way to a road and began to travel. She received stares from many of the other travelers, but in these turbulent times it was not unusual to see anyone with a weapon.

"Miss," someone called.

Kagome turned around to see a young man jogging towards her, while his two companions, one slightly older and one about the same age, watched.

"Yes?"

"Miss, it's not really safe to travel alone, even armed as you are. Would you like to join my group? We're headed to Edo…"

Kagome gave him a brilliant smile. "That sounds great. I would very much like to join your group. Um… how far is Edo? I'm afraid I don't really know where I am…"

"We're about a week's worth of walking away still."

"Thank you. And thank you for allowing me to join you," she said, bowing. "I am Hi-" Kagome stopped herself as she remembered that normal people didn't have last names back then, "Kagome."

"Kagome?" She nodded. "Ok, I am Kanaye. That," Kanaye said, pointing to the elder man "is Masa, and he," Kanaye told her, "is Yukio. We're on our way to sign up for the war."

Kagome smiled again. "So am I."

This statement startled Kanaye, but he recovered quickly and smiled at her again. "Really? You can fight?"

"Quite well."

"Huh. I don't know if they'll let a woman fight though."

"I'll figure something out."

For the next week the small group travelled. Kanaye and Kagome became good friends and she also became fond of Yukio and Masa, though they were not as close.

The night before their arrival in Edo, Kanaye and Kagome stayed up talking.

"Kagome-san, I never asked, which side will you fight on?"

"I will fight for the emperor. There can be no progress without change and I believe that he will change things for the better." Kagome turned onto her side to face Kanaye. "What about you?"

"I think the way you do. Let the foreigners in, to an extent. They can bring new ideas and technology to us. Yukio and Masa were harder to convince," Kanaye told her, gesturing towards the sleeping pair. "At first they believed that the emperor was wrong, that he had lost his right to rule and that the Tokugawa shogunate was right. But I said what you just did, in many more words and convinced them. I just hope we're on the right side in the end."

"We will be," Kagome said with conviction. "The emperor will rule and he will bring change and progress."

Kanaye was silent for a while. "Kagome,-san, I really don't think that they'll let you into the army, since you're a woman. Whether you're a good fighter or not won't matter."

It was Kagome's turn to be silent. "I can't change my gender."

Suddenly, Kanaye's eyes gleamed. "Or can you? Kagome-san, they only have to _think_ that you're a man. I have extra clothes that you can use and we can bind… you know… down. If we tie your hair up like a man's is, and you keep your voice low, it might work!"

"Perfect Kanaye! We can try it in the morning, first thing."

And so the two friends fell asleep, scheming.

The next day, a group of four men made it to Edo and immediately signed up to fight for the emperor. Their names were Yukio, Kanaye, Masa, and Yasha. Only Masa and Yukio understood the wink that passed from Yasha to Kanaye after they had been accepted.

Woot! This is my first RK IY crossover EVER!! I've never even thought about writing one! And yet, here it is! A chapter already finished!


	2. The Hitokiri

Hey! I'm back, and fast (for me)! I have to say, the lack of support for Sano highly disappointed me. The exceptions to the disappointment were Sacred Miko Hime and Torticolis.

Just to clarify, the pairing is ENTIRELY up to me as the author. I haven't quite decided yet, but one, to me, is harder than the other and I'm not sure I'd want to do it… But I'll think on it more.

Another note is that I am not an expert on Japanese history. I may get some facts wrong. Mostly, I'll be making stuff up. Please bear with me in both instances.

Much love!

*!?!?!?!?!?*

Kagome wiped the sweat from her face and bowed as the captain of the squad she was with climbed back to his feet. Captain Ryuichi bowed in response.

It was the last day of training and the squad was scheduled to leave the next morning. There were rumors that they would be going where the hitokiri battousai was currently stationed.

Kagome walked away from the cleared area where she had just sparred with her captain. There were mutterings all around her about the next day.

"-yea, and he's a giant of a man- 6 shaku, 4 sun, at least!"

"No he's not! He's a short, girly-man. No big guy could get enough speed for his style. Plus, he's no older than seventeen. I heard he's mistaken for a girl quite a bit."

The group of men shot a look at Kagome.

"No way he's a hitokiri."

"Fits the description perfect."

"He does have that weird, fast technique."

"No way."

"Girly-"

"Short-"

"Thought he was a girl myself."

Kagome shot a glare at them and the group shut up, only to begin muttering again when she had walked further.

"Yasha!"

Kagome turned and smiled at Kanaye. "Hey."

"Did you know that half the squad thinks that you're the hitokiri battousai?" Kanaye laughed at the glare he received. "Just passing along the gossip."

Kagome smiled and rolled her eyes. "I wonder what they'd do if they ever met the real hitokiri battousai."

"Scream? Possibly beg for their lives?"

Both shook their heads and laughed. "I wonder if the battousai even really exists," Kagome said, mostly to herself.

Kanaye shrugged. "I dunno, but I'm a believer. How else do you explain the deaths among the elite on the enemy's side? And of reputable swordsmen as well!"

Kagome shrugged. "I never said I didn't believe. There have been rumors for such a long time that I think I do believe. Anyways, let's just go get ready for tomorrow. I'd like to bathe before the rest of these guys decide to."

!_!()!_!)$(*!!

A week later, they were with others from the Ishin Shishi. It had been a long day, finishing the march to Aizu and sparring after they had arrived, with little rest in between.

It was with this exhaustion that Kagome was attempting to find a private place to bathe. Not surprisingly, she ran into someone and fell to the ground.

"Oof!" For a moment Kagome stayed down, blinking. Then she looked up to see a golden-eyed man looking down at her. His hair was long and red and he had a single diagonal scar on his cheek.

He offered his hand and Kagome took it, letting him pull her to her feet.

"Gomen nasai! So sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going!" Kagome explained to the man who was only a tiny bit taller than her. It was then that she noticed his hair was wet. "Oh! Is there a private place to bathe up there?"

"Yes, just up ahead. You'll find it."

"Arigato! I am K… Yasha by the way, From Edo. I just arrived today." Kagome noticed she was babbling in nervousness and shut up.

"Kenshin. The woman at the inn will let you bathe if you ask."

Kagome bowed. "Arigato Kenshin-san! I hope to see you again!" She jogged off in the direction Kenshin had come from.

Kenshin watched her for a moment, and then continued in the direction he had been going. A man pulled from the shadows and fell into step with him. "You were right, his ki is strong," the red-head said.

"His technique- what little I've managed to see- is similar to yours. I've thought about recruiting him to be a hitokiri."

"There are enough."

"Kyosuke was killed last night on a job. He needs a replacement."

Kenshin glanced over with golden eyes. "How long have you been watching him?"

"Not long enough. Perhaps you're right. We'll keep an eye on him."

"'We'?"

"You'll be stationed with him for the time being. You'll still be a hitokiri, but watch him as well. Your assignment for tonight will be given to you later." The man split back into the shadows and Kenshin walked to his room.

'Why is she here?'

"Why are you still here?" Kenshin asked.

Tomoe looked up from her sake. "Why shouldn't I be?"

Kenshin huffed and sat on the window sill. "Well leave. This is my room."

"I'll leave when I'm finished with my sake."

The hotel owner came to the doorway. "Tomoe-san, will you show this young man to the baths?"

Kenshin sensed a familiar ki and looked to the door at the same time as Tomoe. He saw the same young man as earlier in the doorway.

Tomoe stood, but Kagome leaned around her to look at Kenshin. "Hello again Kenshin-san. Thanks for telling me about this."

Kenshin nodded back. Tomoe looked back and forth between the two before settling her gaze on Kagome.

"Come. I'll take you to the bath." Tomoe took Kagome by the arm and began to lead her to the bath. When they got there, Tomoe stopped, still holding onto Kagome's arm. "You know nothing can come of an infatuation when you are dressed so."

Kagome gave her a confused look. "What are you talking about?" She tried to tug her arm away.

"You may dress like a boy and fool your way into the army, but I can tell you're a girl. Be very careful, Kenshin-san is very smart. He may figure out that you're a girl."

"I-I'm a boy!"

Tomoe let go of her arm. "You may say that, but I know the truth. Don't worry, I don't tell other people's secrets when I can't tell my own."

Kagome watched her walk off then went to take her bath. "Too young for me anyways…" she muttered.

!_!_)()%$!_!!!

The next day, Kagome trained with Kanaye and Masa. As they warmed up, going through several stances, several men came into their camp. The three stopped to watch and Kagome recognized Kenshin among them. The five men that had entered walked over to Captain Ryuichi and began to talk with him.

"Wonder what's going on," Kanaye said.

"What's with the kid?" asked another man, joining them in watching. "Is he the Captain's son or something?"

"No. He's a fighter, you can tell by the way he stands," Masa told them. "Slightly to the side, to watch for enemy attacks, with his hand loose, ready to draw his sword."

Yasha remained silent, nodding to the redhead when he looked over.

"This is Himura, we want him to be placed with your unit for the time being," Shinsaku told the captain. "Mitsura and Katsuo will also be with him."

"Yes sir, or course. For how long will they be with us?"

"Until their unit is ready to have them back. They are excellent swordsmen. They will be an asset to your unit. I must leave now. They are to train with you, but keep their current sleeping arrangements."

"Yes sir. I'll set them up with Yasha; he is our best."

"Good. I'll contact you for progress."

Ryuichi bowed as Shinsaku left with his guard, then turned to the men. "Yasha is the short man over there. He will help you with training."

Kenshin nodded and led Mitsura and Katsuo to Yasha. The other men, besides Masa and Kanaye, scattered.

"We seem to be running into one another a lot lately, Kenshin-san."

"Indeed. I presume you are already warmed up. Would you care to spar?"

"Sure. They say I'm the best here, but I have a feeling you already know that and know that _you_ are really the best here."

Kenshin shrugged and drew his sword as Masa and Kanaye backed away nervously. Yasha crouched slightly, leaving his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Kenshin's eyes widened imperceptibly at Yasha use of battoujutsu. He attacked anyways, only to be blocked with speed as great as his own. He turned to avoid an attack as recognizable as his own name. Men began to come back to the two as Kenshin leapt out of reach of another attack- Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu Soryusen.

Kenshin's eyes narrowed almost in an angry manner. "You know Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu."

Yasha's sword lowered. "I know what?"

"Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu. You are a student of Hiko-sensei?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"What technique do you use?"

"Umm… a random one?"

Kenshin's frustration began to snow. "Who was your master?"

"An old friend…"

"What was his name?"

"Well, there were really two of them, but I use one's teaching more often…"

"What were their names!"

There was silence from the men around them as they all stared at the red-faced hitokiri and the sheepish Yasha.

"Umm, one was Koga… the other's name was…"

"Hiko?"

"No, Inuyasha."

Kenshin's frustration only grew and he turned away, thinking as the crowd around chuckled.

"InuYASHA?" "Inu?" some laughed.

Yasha blushed. "Yea, well, so what if I took his name? My own wasn't very… samurai-ish."

"Oh yea, and what was it inu-kins?"

"None of your business!"

"Aw, come on, you can tell us puppy-chan."

Yasha muttered something.

"What was that? Didn't quite catch it."

"Kagome, alright, my name was Kagome!"

There was a momentary pause before laughter erupted.

Kenshin turned back quickly, gold eyes focused on Yasha. All sound abruptly stopped. "Show my other attacks from your technique."

"Uh, ok?"

Kenshin watched as his own techniques were performed for him. Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu Ryutsuisen, Ryusosen, Doryusen, and finally Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu Soryusen again. Then Yasha stood as Kenshin studied him thoughtfully.

"You know more of the technique," Kenshin eventually stated.

"Sure, but one should never reveal all he knows at one time to a bunch of people."

"You haven't taken full advantage of the speed offered."

"Like I said, you never reveal all your secrets at one time," Yasha answered.

"Hn." Kenshin turned and walked away, leaving Katsuo and Mitsura there with the rest of the crowd."

"That kid is so intense. He can't be more than fifteen!"

"Intense just like our little inu-chan!"

Laughter broke out again and Yasha just rolled his eyes and went to find a snack with Kanaye.

!_!_!+!()!*

Kenshin wandered the streets of Aizu, thinking on his technique and his master.

'I was his only student. Could he have taught another after I left? It hasn't even been two years though. It's impossible for someone to gain that much from a technique in that little time. He'd have to train for at least five years just to have a glimpse of the kind of power he has. The tradition is for the master to only train a single student, then for that student to only train a single student. How is it possible that he should know so much? Did sensei train another student under a different name while he was training me? Impossible!'

Kenshin arrived at the teahouse where he knew Katsura, his overall superior, was secretly staying. When he got to his room, he knocked with six short raps, then entered. Katsura was there with two of his bodyguards and his lover, Ikumatsu.

"I need to speak with you alone."

Katsura nodded and the bodyguards left. Ikumatsu kissed him, grabbed her things and also left.

Kenshin waited until everyone was down the stairs, then sat.

"What seems to be the problem, Himura?"

"His technique is not _similar_, it is the same."

"You're speaking of Yasha, I suppose."

"Yes."

"And there is problem with this?"

"He should not know it. There is no way he _can _know it. Yet he does."

Katsura thought silently for a moment. "Did he seem to be lying at any point?"

"No. I don't understand how he could know Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu. It's impossible."

"So you've said. Let's just accept that he knows for now. Is he capable to be a hitokiri?"

"Physically, yes. His speed is only a little less than mine. However, I don't know enough about him to know if he is trustworthy enough or if he is mentally capable to kill in the shadows without going crazy."

Katsura laughed bitterly. "Crazy is relative. Which of us is the more sane?" Katsura paused. "Watch him a little while longer. We will survive short one hitokiri for now. I assume you assignment went smoothly last night?"

"Yes." Kenshin stood. "I'll send your guards back up when I leave."

Katsura nodded and watched him leave. 'My boy, what a great disservice I've done you for the good of our cause.'

_!_!_!_!$+()*

Kenshin slept. He knew he slept, yet the dreams of blood, of being covered in blood still horrified him. They horrified him because they were not dreams at all, but memories.

His sixth sense twitched, telling him someone was too close, close enough to touch him.

He woke, drawing his sword before he could really even be sure he had. Kenshin barely stopped himself from slitting Tomoe's throat. After half a second of awaking enough to know what he had almost done, he recoiled, heart pounding. He gripped his sword arm, eyes wide and crazy.

"… I'm sorry…"

Tomoe looked at him in surprise as he panted and sweated.

"After everything I said about not killing civilians, I'm…" Kenshin stuttered, not sure if he would sob at his next words, "Please leave now, or else I will end up…"

Tomoe draped the blanket she had brought him over his lap. Kenshin stared at it, stunned.

"I'll stay here a while longer. You need a sheath to hold your madness now."

Kenshin gripped the blanket, still staring at it. He was unable to look at Tomoe. "You asked me a long time ago… Would I kill you if you held a sword?" He paused, wishing to look at her. "The answer is… 'I wouldn't.' I will not kill you. No matter what may happen, I will never kill you."

He didn't see but Tomoe looked at him almost… sadly.

"Never… You…"

!_!)_(#_!_!_!!!!*^

So! How do you like it? Kenshin has entered! YAY!!!!! It's a good length chapter so…

REVIEW!!!!


	3. Ambush

So… this story is doing way better than I thought it would… it surprises me how popular it is… it's more popular than KnD… And I love KnD. So, I will try to give this story some more love, so you people aren't disappointed. ^_^

Hells Twilight asked me a very good question about Kagome. Here it is: "aww ^__^ is kagome demonish with her life span? like will she still be young when kenshin gets older?"

Here's my answer: Kagome isn't a demon. The reason she's been able to survive three hundred years is because of the Shikon no Tama. The Shikon no Tama is an almost all-powerful object with demon souls in it and a very powerful miko's soul in it. This gives her a sort of almost-immortality. Also, because of its purity, the jewel helps fight off any infection that might kill her. So yea, unless the jewel is destroyed or taken from her, she will remain young because she has it inside her body and is the only one anyone knows of that can keep it pure.

Another question I've been asked is about Kagome and Kenshin's ages. Kenshin is 15. If you read volumes 19 and 20 of the manga, when Kenshin is telling everyone about his past with Tomoe, Yahiko says, "I'm surprised to hear he was married! And at 15!" Those two volumes are what this part of the story is based off of.

Kagome is older. As I said in the first chapter, she is 17. Keep in mind that she is not aging. Yes, over time (a long time) she will grow older. But while she was in the cave, she didn't age.

Read on, mis queridos.

~!~!~!~~!~!~~!~~!

Kagome was sweating in the heat as she walked towards the inn where Kenshin, Mitsura, and Katsuo were staying. She had been bathing there ever since Kenshin had told her about it. Every so often she would see the beautiful woman, Tomoe, working or speaking with Kenshin.

And Kenshin… It had been three days since he had learned of her technique. Since then, he had been watching her closer than ever, but had not approached her again. Instead he watched her train and spar, chat and eat with her friends. Always feeling the younger man's golden gaze creeped her out occasionally. At times, she wondered if he followed her as well. She sometimes felt an aura shadowing her, but couldn't tell much about it. Kenshin's was the same. She could feel it, but it felt weak, suppressed.

There it was now! A suppressed aura, following her. If she hadn't been trained by the best, she would not have felt it. Kagome stopped, debating whether or not to confront the owner of the aura. A few, stronger auras approaching made her decision for her. She would not initiate a confrontation with an unknown stalker in a public place.

Kagome turned down an alley and was surprised when the strong auras followed her. She turned around and her blood ran cold.

Four men dressed in the Mimawarigumi (like the Shinsengumi, the Mimawarigumi also patrolled the streets of Kyoto) uniform stood at the entrance to the alley. They were glaring at her and had their swords drawn.

"Rebel," one spat.

Kagome's mind raced. "Wh-what are you talking about? I'm no rebel."

"Why do you carry a sword then? I do not recognize you from the army, or the Shinsengumi. And you're not from the Mimawarigumi."

"These are dangerous times. One should always carry a form of defense."

The men moved closer. "No, you're a rebel. I can smell the blood of patriots on you, you Ishin Shishi filth."

If her life hadn't been in danger, Kagome might have laughed at the clichéd expression. Instead, she put her back to a wall so they couldn't surround her and calculated her next move. The bundle of clothes in her arms would be in the way, so she dropped it. She placed her hand on her sword and moved into a defensive crouch.

"If you're no rebel, then who should rule Japan? Hasn't the emperor lost his Divine Right?" They were closing in on her like sharks on a piece of meat.

Kagome saw the killing light in their eyes and knew there was no point in lying. "The emperor. Long live Mutsuhiro-sama!"

As the men attacked, Kagome realized off-handedly that the aura was still around, watching. When one man was close enough, Kagome used her Battou-jutsu and the technique Sou Ryu Sen (Paired Dragon Flash). She attacked the first man with her sword, cutting him down, then used the sheath on the next, breaking his nose. The pain surprised him and he was the next to die.

The other two men kept coming and she barely had time to dodge away. One of the dying men grabbed her ankle, making her fall. She kicked him off, but the two living men had the advantage off standing. One stepped on her stomach, holding her down and the other stepped on her wrist to keep her from using her sword.

"Tell us where the rest of you damn rebels are and your death will be quick."

"Never," Kagome snarled. Her sheath hit the man on her stomach in the crotch first, then the man on her wrist. "Long live the emperor," She told them as she killed them.

Kagome flicked her blade, then swiped it on her black hakama to get the remaining blood off. When it was clean she sheathed it. As she slipped her sheath back into her sash, she heard someone clapping. Pained blue eyes followed the sound.

A man, probably five years older than herself leaned against the wall, just out of reach of the gore. "Nicely done," he said.

"You're the one that's been following me."

The man stopped clapping and studied her with a calculating look in his eyes. "So you could sense me? Interesting." He made his way over to her. "You are Yasha."

"Yes, what do you want from me?"

"I have something to give you." The man pulled an envelope from his kimono. "I've decided that you're loyal enough to the emperor to receive it." He held it out to Kagome, but she just stared at it.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Can't tell you. You'll have to read it yourself."

Kagome reached out to cautiously grab the envelope. "Who are you?"

The man smiled. "No one to concern yourself about. Go ahead and leave before anyone else comes along." The man returned to the shadows and Kagome sensed him leaving. He paused at the edge on the alley. "Tell no one about that letter."

Kagome stepped around the bodies and gathered her clothes, which were miraculously untouched by blood. She tucked the letter into the clean clothes to keep it away from her bloody body. Kagome made it to the end of the alley before she fell to her knees and vomited. Her hands were red with blood as she held herself up. Tears fell from her eyes.

'No one told me it would hurt this much to take another's life.' Kagome wiped her mouth and struggled to her feet. No one was on the street, but she knew if she went that was there would be no way to avoid people on her way to the inn. She looked back into the alley and took a deep breath as she made her way to the other end of it. Instead of going on the main road, she took a route that led down other alleys so she could get to the inn unnoticed. She paused over the Mimawarigumi and said a prayer Miroku had taught her over their bodies.

When Kagome arrived at the inn, she crept in, avoiding people as best as she could, ducking into unoccupied rooms when she had to. When she got to the bath house, she dropped her clean clothes and poured water over her fully clothed body. She dumped bucket after bucket of water over herself. After a while, she realized she was sobbing, soft little hiccups following the unseen tears. She scrubbed at her clothes, hair and hands. When the water was no longer pink, she stripped and dipped into the bath.

Kagome leaned her head back and called on the jewel, feeling her body go into "standby" mode.

Everyone was waiting for her. Couches had appeared and everyone was perched somewhere. Midoriko sat on a love seat alone. Kagome plopped down on the floor in the middle.

Sango left her place beside Miroku to join her. "Are you okay Kagome?"

Kagome leaned toward her, eyes dry. "I just killed four men. I wasn't prepared for the mental effects of it."

"It's hard for all of us, the first time," Sango reassured her. "Even killing demons was like that for me."

Kagome nodded and held up the physical replica of the jewel that hung around her neck. It shone pink. "But how can I keep this pure when I have to kill?"

Midoriko knelt beside her as well. "It is not whether or not there is blood on your hands that matters. What matters is whether your heart is pure. Do you no longer want only for the betterment of the world? Do you thirst for blood? Do you want to kill just for the sake of killing? Do you want revenge?"

"No."

"The jewel will remain pure. Just remember that hate will never answer anything. That is why you're the only one who can keep the Shikon no Tama pure. You have the ability to forgive the greatest wrongs against you."

Kagome nodded and the jewel faded away. She looked at Inuyasha. "What you taught me… Where did you learn it?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Partly from watching Sesshomaru, partly made up."

Kagome laughed unbelievingly. "You created a famous style of sword fighting, apparently."

Inuyasha shrugged. "So?"

Koga punched Inuyasha in the back off the head. "Dumbass."

Kagome smiled as they bickered. Naraku and Miroku joined the girls. "Thank you," the miko said. "I feel better."

"You should probably go. You need to get back to the camp," Midoriko told her.

Kagome nodded and came to consciousness in her body. She quickly dressed and hesitantly grabbed her soaking clothes. She tucked the letter into the dry top she wore. Her sword rested at her side as she left the bath house.

As she walked, Kagome took a deep breath of the early evening air and almost ran into Kenshin. Kagome stepped back. "Um… So sorry, Kenshin-san."

Kenshin nodded, then sighed. "I… I must apologize Yasha-san. I have been cold to you lately. I was unnerved that you also knew the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu."

Yasha smiled. "It was no problem Kenshin-san. Anyways, I must get back to camp, I'm already late."

They bowed to one another and Kenshin entered the bath house as she left. The scene he met with made him stop and he looked speculatively in the direction Yasha had gone in. He then began to clean up the bloody water she had left to seep through the bathing area.

Kagome arrived back at the camp outside of Kyoto. Kanaye was waiting for her. "Hey, you missed dinner, so I saved you something. What took you so long?"

Yasha looked around. There were other men nearby. "I'll tell you later. How about you take me to my dinner for now?"

Kanaye realized why she didn't want to talk and nodded. "All right. This way."

They went back to their shared tent, where a meal of rice, vegetables, and fish awaited her. As she ate, Kanaye watched her with a hand on his chin and his elbow on his knee. Kagome ate as quickly as she could. When she finished, she sighed and set her dish aside.

"I was ambushed by four Mimawarigumi men."

Kanaye's eyes widened. "What? Oh my gods! Are you all right? Are you injured?" He stood and rushed to try to inspect her.

Kagome laughed and pushed him away. "I'm fine, just a little bruised. They somehow knew I was an Ishin Shishi. They wanted information."

"What did you do?"

"There was nothing else I could do; I had to kill them. They almost had me at one point, but I defeated them."

Kanaye sighed in relief and sat back down. "You sure you're all right? You got all of them?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes. There were only four. I had to go bathe after that. I'm afraid my clothes might be permanently stained though. I haven't looked at them since I cleaned them."

Kanaye picked up the still-wet clothes and scrutinized them. "They're fine. You'll just need to hang them up so they dry."

Kagome nodded. "I was lucky they weren't Shinsengumi. Shinsengumi are smarter. A few more and I might not have made it."

"Maybe we should only go out together from now on, just in case…"

"No. If they recognize me, you'll be in danger too and then they might have two of us. That wouldn't be good."

The man sighed. "I know. I just worry about you. I mean, you are after all…" he trailed off.

"Yea, but I'm also very strong and fast. I can fight more than one opponent. It's what I was trained to do. And I spent a lot of time in training." Kagome paused, thinking about telling him about the letter she received, but remembered the man's words.

"Yea, I know… I can't help but worry though. I mean, you're my friend. I don't want anything to happen to you."

Kagome smiled. "Don't worry. Even if something happened, I'd be fine." 'I am practically immortal…' she thought to herself.

"Whatever you say."

Four hours later, when her tent mates, Kanaye, Masa, and Yukio, were asleep, Kagome pulled out the letter. She shielded the candle she had lit to read by with her hand- so she wouldn't disturb her sleeping companions- and opened the envelope. She read the letter, and then read it again.

_To Yasha:_

_I would like to meet with you to speak about your future in the Ishin Shishi. We seem to be one hitokiri short and I would like you to be the next one. Please be at the Falling Petal inn tomorrow evening at eleven o'clock._

_Destroy this after reading._

Kagome stared at the letter, before she crept out of the tent to burn it in one of the campfires. She sgazed into the flames as she thought. 'I guess I'll have to ask for advice twice in one day,' she sighed in her mind.

She went back to the tent and fell asleep instantly, meeting up with Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha in a cave.

"Back already wench?" Inuyasha asked.

"Inuyasha… sit!"

Inuyasha flinched, but nothing happened. "Goddamn it wench!"

Kagome smirked. "You still fall for that every time. Anyways, I need advice again," she told them before calling, "Midoriko-sama, Naraku-san, Koga-san?" into the seemingly empty air.

The three appeared.

Kagome explained what was going on. "So, what do you think I should do?"

"It's up to you Kagome-chan, but if I were you, I'd at least go to see what they want to say," Sango told her.

"That would be best," Miroku advised.

"But do you think I _could_ do it?"

"Keh. We trained you better than that. Of course you can."

"You are strong Kagome. You will be able to stay yourself and not suffer," Midoriko said.

Kagome nodded. "Then I'll talk to them."

"Go to sleep now," Koga told her gruffly.

"Yes, you'll be a hitokiri soon. You won't be getting as much sleep in a few days," Naraku told her.

When Kagome awoke, the sun was peeking over the horizon. It was another day full of training exercises. By late morning the temperatures had soared causing tempers to soar as well. Fights broke out over water and who got to use what when. Finally, Captain Ryuichi called a halt for the soldiers to get lunch.

Yasha plopped under a tree as Kanaye- who had lost rock, paper, scissors- got their lunches. She looked over as Kenshin sat down beside her. He already had a bowl of rice and was starting to eat it.

"Hey," Yasha said in greeting.

Kenshin nodded. "You left a mess in the bath house last night."

Yasha's eyes widened. "Shit."

"I cleaned it up for you. Ambush?"

"Yes."

"All of them?"

"Yes."

Kenshin nodded. Masa, Yukio and Kanaye returned with lunch. They sat in a close circle and ate in silence. Eventually Yukio spoke.

"I heard we'll get the rest of the afternoon off. And that they might be promoting someone."

The others looked at him in interest. "Where did you hear this?" Masa asked.

"I overheard the captain talking to someone in his tent last night. Apparently he's gonna be off somewhere during that festival next month, so someone else will have to be in charge."

"And what about getting the afternoon off?"

"He said something to the cook while we were over there. I'm surprised you didn't hear."

Kagome smiled in her mind. She knew why. Yukio had diluted demon blood, so his senses were better than the others'. Kenshin might have had demon blood too, but she couldn't really tell. "Will we be able to go into town, do you think?"

"I don't know. There have been reports of the Mimawarigumi and the Shinsengumi being more active recently. They might want us to stay close so we don't attract too much attention," Yukio answered.

"You will be allowed to go into town," Captain Ryuichi told them as he joined their group. He leaned against the shady tree rather than sitting. "I want to know if the reports are true. Your group may go into Kyoto to find out. Kenshin-san will be able to guide you. When you return I want a report."

"Yes, sir," they answered in unison. The captain nodded and walked off.

The men, other than Kenshin looked at one another, puzzled. "Why us?" Kanaye wondered aloud.

"Yasha-san is the best swordsman in the camp. If anything happened, he would most likely be able to fend them off, at least long enough for someone to escape back to camp to warn everyone," Kenshin answered.

They were silent for the rest of their lunch.

When they went into town, they feigned shopping for food and gifts for a man's wedding. Kenshin was the first to notice the first group of Shinsengumi.

"There," he muttered. "Shinsengumi if their uniform is any indication."

As the day progressed and the sun sunk lower in the sky, more and more squads of Shinsengumi were noticed, along with a few Mimawarigumi.

"It's an infestation!" Masa hissed as they examined a men's kimono that was horrendously overpriced.

Yasha nodded, seemingly at what Kanaye had said about the craft of the kimono. They left the stand and went to get some food, continuing to walk as they ate.

"We should head back now," Yukio told them. The sun was low in the sky.

Everyone nodded.

"I will go straight to the inn from here," Kenshin told them.

"Do you mind company? I'd like to bathe while I'm in town. I can buy clean clothing on the way."

Kenshin nodded and the men parted ways.

"Who was it last night?" Kenshin asked when they were halfway to the inn.

"Mimawarigumi," Yasha answered quietly. "Four. Without Hiten Mitsuguri, I would have been dead."

Kenshin nodded and the rest of the walk was silent. Yasha picked up hakama and a gi on their way and immediately went to bathe, replacing the "undershirt" that bound her chest even though it was dirty.

That evening, around ten, Yasha snuck from the tent, slipping through the dark streets of Kyoto until she arrived at the Falling Petal Inn. A tall man with black irises met her at the door.

"Name?"

"Yasha," she muttered and was immediately allowed entrance.

Sitting at a low table was a man with black hair in a squarely cut ponytail. A body guard sat to either side of him and he sipped a small cup of tea. Yasha noticed that he wore no sword, though his hands were calloused and he had the killing light in his eye. She knelt across from him.

"Have you thought about our offer?"

Yasha nodded. "I have. I have thought on the matter for the past day and decided to accept it."

"Do you feel that you fully understand it?"

"Yes."

"You know if you betray us, we will hunt you down and kill you, correct?"

"Yes."

The man studied her before nodding. "I am Katsura. Tomorrow night you will receive your first assignment. When you are alone, you will be given a black envelope. Inside will be your instructions. Once you have memorized them, you will destroy the letter. Is this understood?"

"Yes Katsura-sama."

"Good. You will be apprenticed for your first few assignments. Afterwards, if an assignment requires more than one hitokiri, you will be partnered with your former "master." Tomorrow evening it will be he who delivers your letter. Eventually you will be separated from your unit and live with the Choshu Ishin Shishi."

"Yes Katsura-sama."

"Do you understand everything I have told you?"

"Yes Katsura-sama."

"Good. Return to your camp and get some rest."

Yasha bowed and left, carefully avoiding any patrols as she snuck through the streets to get back to their well-hidden camp. When she got back to the tent, she immediately went to sleep.

The next evening, it was Kenshin that handed Yasha her first assignment. For a moment, Yasha could only stare at him, stunned. Then she smiled and bowed. "Thank you, Kenshin-sempai. Please take care of me."

Kenshin bowed back. "Of course."

The younger man taught Yasha how to kill as a hitokiri. For her first three assignments, they were together. Afterwards, Yasha was on her own.

The hits were no match for her, in strength or speed. Despite their best efforts, none could lay a single blow on her. Her speed and stealth increased. Kanaye noticed she seemed brighter when she woke, though more tired. Dark shadows began to show beneath her eyes. When he asked, Kagome would always answer, "Just bad dreams."

Late May turned to early June of 1864 and Yasha's body count had grown to 22 in just a few short weeks. However, as Midoriko had told her, she kept her heart free of blood. She did not let her actions taint her heart.

The festival of Gion was set to begin. Disaster was set to begin.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!

That was a loooooong chapter for me to write… Especially since I discovered the joy of … Please review, give me your opinions, I love to hear them! And yea, the next chapter is (partially) planned, so I hope to have it up by my birthday (4 March). However, I do have some things going on between now and then, so that is overly optimistic… But perhaps by May? LOL. I want to update KnD before I do the next chapter of this as well…

REVIEW!


	4. Slaughterhouse 4

Just to clarify, I do often switch between using "Yasha" and "Kagome." I will use Kagome when she is acting as her female self and the people around her know she is female. Yasha will be used around people that don't know he/she is female (yes, I'm bad at the pronouns – I'm very inconsistent.

Kagome's old friends aren't _really_ a part of her. Their souls are within the jewel and Kagome has complete access to the jewel and therefore to her friends, but if the jewel disappears, so do they.

As to how much is going to be in the Bakumatsu era… I'm not really sure yet. There are a few major events that I want/need to happen that should happen in the Bakumatsu era. As far as I know, there will be AT LEAST two more chapters in the past, probably more.

Um… I'm not really into threesomes… call me prudish or whatever, but no, this will not be a threesome. And the issue of age between Kenshin and Kagome will resolve itself since she ages very slowly and he ages at a normal rate. The same with Sano, seeing as at the moment he is four years old…

Anyways, please enjoy another long chapter of Fighting the Good Fight…

~~~ Slaughterhouse (4) ~~~

It was the late afternoon of June fifth, in the founding year of Genji. Yasha sweated in the setting sun, hot from practicing all day. He lay under a sakura, the blooms already gone. He dozed, one hand wrapped around the pommel of his sword. Nearby, Masa was still sparring with another soldier.

Kagome was dreaming of her family – her little brother, mother, and grandfather. When she was thirteen and Sota was six, they had taken a trip to Kyoto to watch part of the Gion Festival. They were only there for the opening ceremonies, but it had always been one of her favorite trips with her family. She and Sota had gotten to dress up and play various games while the watched the festivities.

Kagome immediately awoke as she sensed someone near her. When she sensed who it was she smiled. Kanaye had his hand held to her. Yasha took it and was on her feet in an instant.

"You had the strangest expression on your face while you were sleeping. What were you dreaming of?" Kanaye asked.

"My family. When I was young, we went to the Gion Festival together."

"Ah." Kanaye paused as they began walking to their tent. "You never talk about them. How many people were there in your family?"

"It was my mother, my grandfather and my younger brother. My father died before my younger brother was born."

"Where is your family now? Do they know you're a soldier now?"

"There is no one from my family now. I haven't seen them since long before I decided to fight."

Kanaye must have heard something painful in his friend's voice because he didn't ask anymore about her family. "Well… tonight is the last night of the opening ceremonies for the festival. Masa, Yukio and I were planning on going. Do you want to join us? I think there're only a few people staying behind."

Kagome thought on it a moment as Kanaye held open the tent flap for her to go in. "I think I'll pass. I haven't been getting much sleep lately."

"I know. Well, if you change your mind, just come find us. We're leaving in about an hour."

Kagome nodded and went to lie down as Kanaye prepared to leave. She dozed off as Kanaye went in and out of the tent. At one point, she felt him standing over her.

"You know," he whispered and Kagome knew he wasn't talking to her, "You're a great friend. If I wasn't in love with Yukio and I liked girls, I'd have married you right away. Whoever let you run away was an idiot."

Kagome fell back asleep and didn't awake until Kanaye was already gone.

She sat up and yawned, rubbing her eyes. Then she noticed the note that had fluttered off her chest. She picked it up and read it.

_Hey, we left for the festival. I wish you'd come with us, but I'm not going to wake you up to tell you that. If you wake up before the festival's over, come join us. Just listen for the drunken person (Masa)._

_~Kanaye_

'Maybe I should go.' Kagome stood up. 'What could it hurt? It'll be fun.'

Kagome changed into clean clothes and stretched. 'I wonder if Kenshin-san will be there?' she shook her head at herself. 'I'm too old for him. Plus he is most definitely in love with Tomoe-san… who is also too old for him… whatever…'

Kagome grabbed her money pouch and paused by her sword. 'Should I take it or not? I probably won't need it and the Mimawarigumi are already suspicious, but Kanaye took his… I'll leave it here. It's unlikely that the Mimawarigumi would attack during the festival.'

So Kagome placed the sword on her bedroll and left the tent, making her way to town. Once there, Yasha looked around, noting the various stalls selling food and drink and little trinkets. The whole town was brightly lit. Here and there she sensed familiar auras and weak demons.

Up ahead there was another member of the Ishin Shishi standing on the corner and smoking. Yasha knew he was actually a scout for the Ikeda-ya, since there was a meeting there that evening. Yasha gave the man a quick glance which he returned. Neither acknowledged the other's presence more than that.

Yasha continued searching the festival for the next hour. As she walked along, she stopped and ate from the stalls and had a bit of sake. Then she felt a flair-up of power. She stopped and turned, trying to analyze where it came from. A jolt of alarm shot through her as she realized it came from the direction of the Ikeda-ya, from its approximate location. Yasha slipped into an alley and began to run towards the disturbance, avoiding main roads. She stopped at the end of an alley across from the Ikeda-ya and hid in the shadows.

There were several guards outside of the Ikeda-ya in the uniform of the Shinsengumi Mibu wolves. The man Yasha had greeted earlier was dead, his sword drawn. Yasha could hear the sounds of fighting and death from inside the building. He reached for his katana before remembering it was on his bedroll, back at the tent.

"Dammit," Yasha cursed to himself quietly.

The guards' fellow soldiers came out of the building. All were covered in blood. There were far more of them than the number of Ishin Shishi that had been in that building, Yasha knew.

A man with a black ponytail and honey-colored eyes stepped from the building and Yasha stumbled back, eyes wide with shock.

"That was too easy," one man said. "I would have thought it would be harder to defeat the Ishin Shishi."

"The Battousai wasn't even there," another complained. "Or their damned leader."

"We've still got the inn to look through."

"According to the informant, there's a camp outside of town with another hitokiri in it."

Yasha's blood ran cold when he heard that. 'They're talking about me.' She noticed that the man with honey eyes was still staring at her. She took another step back, trying to move further into the shadows.

The man took a step in her direction, before calling to the apparent leader. "Okita-kun, there is someone there."

A man who looked no older than Kenshin also looked. "Capture him."

Yasha turned and fled, knowing he had no chance while he was unarmed. He then scoffed at himself. 'Not that I would win in a fight against a wolf demon without my miko-ki anyways.'

Half the Mibu were chasing her. Among them was the wolf with golden eyes. He led the chase, but knew better than to become separated too much from the group.

Yasha dodged into another alley and the wolf followed. The pack of humans followed. 'How do I get out of this? Where can I go?'

Yasha kept running through the alleys. 'I can't lead them to the inn or the camp. I can't let Kenshin be taken unawares and there are too many civilians. The men that stayed at camp are probably asleep… I need to hide!'

Yasha changed direction and started towards the main roads. She turned sharply into the crowd and took her hair from its ponytail as she began to walk. 'Don't see me, don't see me!' Yasha fought to control his breathing. He felt the Mibu pause at the fork in the alley. He knew they would not expect him to go into the crowd where he'd be trapped.

Yasha kept tabs on their energies as he made his way through town. Eventually they stopped searching and met up with the other Mibu. Yasha bumped into someone and felt as if his heart might have stopped when he saw golden eyes. When he saw red hair, he felt his heart beat again.

"Kenshin-sensei, the Mibu--"

"I know," Kenshin stated. His eyes were directed at towards the street and shadowed by a cake pan-like hat. Yasha followed his gaze and saw the Mibu walking by even bloodier than before. The wolf demon looked right at the two of them and smirked.

"What's the matter Saito-san?" the young man Yasha knew to be Okita asked.

Saito's gaze moved off of the two Ishin Shishi and Yasha breathed deeply. "It's… nothing, Okita-kun," Saito told the leader with his eyes closed.

Yasha and Kenshin watched the Shinsengumi leave, then Kenshin took Yasha's arm and began to lead him away.

"We need to leave. There are more men on the way from the Shogunate."

Yasha pulled away. "I need to go back to camp first. Where should we meet?"

Kenshin paused. "Meet me outside the gates. We will need to find other survivors."

Yasha nodded and they parted.

Kagome ran all the way to camp. Before she got there, she could smell smoke and blood. In the light of flames, she could see smoke rising from the camp.

Kagome paused at the edge of camp. Men lay in pools of their own blood, scattered in and around scorched or burning tents. A few horses were also dead, but most were simply gone.

Kagome felt her chest clench with fear and worry. She did not know whether or not her friends had returned before the Mibu had attacked.

Kagome then sensed someone and grabbed a sword from the body of one of her former peers before she hid in the shadow of a tree. The person started to walk by and Kagome leapt out and took the man down, holding the sword to his neck.

"Yasha?"

Kagome shifted so light shone on the man's face. It was Masa. Kagome took the sword away from his neck. "Where are Yukio and Kanaye?" she asked as she helped Masa to his feet.

"I don't know. They left town before me. I was hoping they'd met up with you and you guys were safe."

The friends stared into the flames together. "I'd like to know at least," Kagome mumbled. "I can't just wonder. Let's go to our tents. That's where they'd be, most likely."

Masa nodded. They made their way to Masa's tent first. He shared it with five others, as it was a larger tent. Among the bodies in and around it, they did not find Yukio or Kanaye. They left the tent, leaving the bodies within for the moment.

As they passed the officers' tent, Kagome heard something within. "There's someone alive in there," she told Masa. He nodded and they approached the tent cautiously. Masa held the flap and Kagome entered with the sword in front of her.

Lying on the ground, bleeding profusely, was Captain Ryuichi. Kagome dropped the sward and rushed to the captain.

"Yasha," the man muttered.

"Yes, captain, it's me." Kagome pulled the rags of clothing away from his body. "Don't worry, I can fix this," she told him.

He had been stabbed through the gut and Kagome could see various pink organs, including the captain's intestine. Blood was flowing out of the gash. Kagome held the rags firmly against the wound. "Masa, get me--"

"No," the captain whispered. "I failed to protect them. I should have been prepared."

Kagome took another look at the scene and saw the dagger gleaming with false innocence by the captain's hand. It was not murder. It was seppuku. Kagome gritted her teeth.

"I can heal you, I can save you."

Masa placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "A man's honor is worth more than that to him."

The captain's expression seemed to beg Yasha to understand. After a moment he nodded. "Alright. But you do not deserve to suffer." He stood with the sword. "Masa, get him on his knees."

"Thank you," the captain whispered.

Yasha bowed his head. "In light of your death, I will save who I can." Yasha tried to offer Masa the sword, but the older man shook his head.

"I'm not strong enough."

Yasha nodded, grimacing. "Sayonara, Ryuichi-sama." Yasha beheaded Ryuichi and looked away as the body slumped to the ground.

"We'll bury him later. For now, let's find Yukio and Kanaye," Masa said.

Yasha dropped the sword and followed Masa out of the tent. He made it a few steps before he fell to his knees and vomited. Afterwards, Kagome wiped her mouth and stood. "Let's find them."

Masa nodded and they continued on their way. Soon, they reached Kanaye and Yasha's shared tent. It was only slightly scorched on one side. Masa once again held the tent flap open.

Kagome stopped a step inside the tent. Kanaye was slumped, half-naked, over his bedroll. His mouth was surrounded by blood, from where he appeared to have bitten someone. His and Yasha's swords lay a few feet away, both unsheathed and bloody. There was a pool of blood near them and some drag marks leading out of the tent. Various bodily fluids surrounded Kanaye, but the most predominant was blood. It dripped slowly from different gashes – one on his side, other on his thigh and back. But Kanaye had not bled out. That had merely been torture. The sword through his heart, pinning him to the ground had killed him.

Kagome stepped closer and saw a bit of flesh had been spat on the ground beside him, along with what seemed to be the majority of his teeth. Kagome looked away from that, feeling sick at the evidence of what was essentially rape.

She kneeled amidst the blood and closed her eyes, trying to feel for anything left to save. Kanaye's traumatized soul remained, but Kagome knew there was nothing she could do for the body. Her eyes opened and she stared at the top of Kanaye's head as she spoke to Masa.

"Don't touch me unless there's danger. I may be very still for a while."

"Hai," Masa answered. Kagome closed her eyes again.

She opened herself spiritually and reached out for Kanaye. His soul, recognizing her and seeking comfort, came immediately. In a second, Kanaye was in her mind, looking as healthy and strong as he ever had.

"Ka-Kagome? Wha-what happened? The last I remember, the Mibu were there and they … they …"

"I know," Kagome told him. "They also killed you. You're just a spirit now."

"Then… how can you talk to me?"

Kagome stepped closer to Kanaye. "I'm a miko. I could have saved you, if I'd been there… I'm sorry, Kanaye."

"It's not your fault. But what are you doing?" Kanaye reached out to her and Kagome embraced him.

"I can purify your soul and send you on. Or you can stay with me."

"How?"

Kagome hugged him tighter. "There's a jewel inside me that houses souls. My friends are there until I can get rid of it. If you want, you can join them. Or I can send you on so you can be reincarnated."

Kanaye was quiet and the white place they were in was completely silent, devoid of even breathing. "I want to go on. It's better to move on." Kagome felt wetness on her shoulder. "Can you make me forget, Kagome? I don't want to remember what they did. I don't want to know that."

Kagome stroked his hair and felt tears in her own eyes. "I can make the bad memories disappear."

Kanaye nodded. "Will you tell Yukio and Masa that I loved them and that they were they best friends I could have had? Can… can you tell Yukio that I loved him more than anything else, but I want him to be happy with Michiko?"

Kagome nodded and whispered, "Yes," to him.

"And Kagome… I love you too you know. You're so strong and good. I wish instead of this war, you were at home with a loving husband that is strong enough to take care of you. I wish you didn't have to see things like this."

"Thank you, Kanaye. I love you as well."

Kanaye released Kagome and wiped his eyes. "Okay. I'm ready."

Kagome nodded and took Kanaye's hands in hers. She concentrated on her powers and felt them flow from her to Kanaye, cleansing him. When she opened her eyes, Kanaye's eyes were closed. They slowly opened as he began to fade and he gained a confused look.

"Who are you?" he asked, and faded out completely.

Kagome opened her eyes into the real world and turned to look at Masa, who was staring at her as if he had just figured something out.

"He's gone, huh?" the grizzled soldier asked.

"Yes. I sent him on."

"You're a miko. I thought you might be."

Kagome nodded. "The most powerful in existence," she told him wryly.

"I thought so. I had a bit of training as a kid. I thought I sensed it in you. The jewel." Kagome's gaze was sharp and Masa shrugged. "I know all the old legends. Never really believed that one, though, until now."

Kagome sighed. "It's better not to believe. It was bad enough when it happened. No need to bring up a past that can't – and probably shouldn't -- be changed."

Masa nodded and strode forward to pull the katana from Kanaye's body. It slumped further towards the ground. "I can't stand to see him like that," the man muttered gruffly. "He was a good man, and honest. Wore his so-called sins proudly. He didn't deserve something like this."

Kagome stood. "He told me to tell you he loved you and Yukio and that he couldn't have had better friends."

"We'll get the bastards who did this."

Kagome nodded. "We have to leave him for now. We might still be able to save Yukio."

Masa led the way from the tent. "Do you think you could use your ki to find him?"

"Maybe. I haven't tried that before." Kagome tried to find a familiar aura. "It's weak, but it's there. Give me a minute and I can find the location." There was absolute silence. "The forest. He's dying."

Kagome began to run with Masa following closely behind. Kagome dodged through the trees and slowed after a minute or so. "He's close. Look for him."

There was a tiny amount of rustling and Kagome saw the glint of a sword.

"Yukio, it's Masa and Yasha."

The sword fell back to the ground and the two soldiers stepped closer. They were then able to see Yukio on the ground, holding a wound in his side tightly. Masa and Kagome could see the shadow that indicated blood seeping through the fabric of Yukio's clothes.

"Hey … guys," Yukio rasped, attempting a smile.

Kagome dropped to her knees beside Yukio. "Let me see."

"I'd rather a lady not see something like this. It's mortal. Is … where is Kanaye?"

"He's dead."

Yukio let his head fall back and he stared at the stars through the smoke above them. "He won't be alone for long. I'll be there soon too." He turned his head towards Masa. "Masa, tell Michiko I love her."

"No," Kagome said firmly. "Kanaye told me to tell you he loved you, but he wishes you and Michiko the best of luck. You can tell her yourself."

"I hate to break this to you, but I'm not going to make it." Yukio smiled and Kagome could see his blood coating his teeth.

"I can save you."

"A miracle could save me, nothing else." Yukio lifted his hand briefly and Kagome caught a glimpse of blood, muscle and organs before the injured man covered the wound again.

"I can save you," she repeated resolutely. "I can heal you."

"Even if you could… I've lost too much blood."

Kagome sat silently for a moment. "If I could, would you let me? Do you want to live?"

"Yea. I'm not ready to die yet." Yukio coughed and red spittle landed on his half-lifted hand.

Kagome nodded. "Good. Masa, hold him down."

Yukio's eyes went wide. "What the Hell?"

Masa held Yukio's arms to the ground and Kagome placed her glowing hands on Yukio. "What are you doing?" the dying man asked

"Saving you. Don't talk."

Kagome reached toward her power and pushed it out. She felt Yukio's flesh knit together and felt blood flow out of his lungs and abdominal cavity back and back where it belonged. The muscles and fat pushed together and prevented any more blood from escaping. Yukio's lungs cleared of all fluid, the skin over his gash repaired itself. A few cracked and broken bones popped back into place and Kagome heard Yukio cry out at the pain.

The bones took the longest. A few fragments had to find their places again and meld together to repair the bones, but after only half an hour, Yukio was healed and out of danger.

Kagome fell back onto her butt and sat cross-legged, a sheen of sweat on her face. A matching amount of sweat was also on Yukio's face and he panted heavily. Masa finally let go, cautiously. He had needed to crawl over Yukio to pin down his legs and torso as he thrashed about.

A few minutes passed before Yukio's breathing slowed. "What are you?"

"A miko," Kagome answered, "and a soldier." She glanced upward. "I need to go. I told Kenshin-san I would meet him outside the gates. See who has survived and gather them outside the gates as well."

Kagome stood and then looked back at her two remaining friends. "I… I want to bury Kanaye before I go."

Masa pulled Yukio to his feet and the three went back to the razed camp. Other survivors had started to gather, but Masa, Yukio and Yasha ignored them for the moment and went straight to the tent where Kanaye's body lay.

Yukio saw him and cursed. "They… they fucking…"

"Yea, they did."

"They'll pay. I swear on my father's honor, on my mother's honor and on moon in the sky they'll pay. This wasn't war; this was… fuck." Yukio knelt beside Kanaye and pulled the cold body into his arms. "You didn't deserve this… damn it, if I'd known what they were going to do I wouldn't have run…"

"It's what he would have wanted," Masa told him. "Now let's get him out of here. He's stayed long enough."

Kagome left to dig a grave while the two men tried to restore some of Kanaye's dignity by reassembling his clothing. The grave was shallow at the end – only a few feet deep – but Masa and Yukio placed Kanaye in it and covered him with dirt. They found some stones and covered the fresh mound with them to keep the animals out of the grave.

Kagome stood between the two men when it was down and bowed her head. "May our memories of you not be tainted by revenge or wrath. Instead, may we think of kind words and vitality. May your death not be allowed to taint our hearts. Instead, let your life give us strength to continue pursuing what is right. In the next life, may you be born in a happier place and time with people to care for and love you, no matter what."

There was absolute silence. Some of their other comrades had also come and none spoke. After a minute, Yasha turned and left, grabbing his sword on his way. Despite the bloody occurrences, he felt no need for vengeance. Instead, every soul he passed he cleansed until the camp was no longer haunted by the dead.

Kenshin hid in a tree, waiting for his fellow hitokiri, Yasha. A slight pang of worry ate at him. The man was taking far too long and Tomoe was left without protection. Just when the red head was about to give up, Yasha appeared beneath the tree.

"There was a mole within the Ishin Shishi. They knew where the camp was and that there was supposed to be a hitokiri there."

Kenshin dropped down beside him. "I know. The other Choshu will be here soon, along with the Shogunate army. Will you stay?"

"What has happened to Katsura-sensei?"

"He has escaped. I expect him to contact us within the week, but the battle may begin before that."

Yasha's gaze was firmly on the ground. "What do you intend to do, Kenshin-san?"

"Many of my friends were killed. I will stay and fight. Tomoe-san also intends to stay. She needs protection."

Yasha nodded. "I will not abandon my mentor. I will fight also. I told the survivors of my company to meet us. I may need to lead them. Should I tell them they can leave if they wish, or force them to stay?"

Kenshin's golden eyes closed. "If you give them the choice, most will stay. They have also lost their friends."

Yasha made a grunt of agreement. "Then it is decided. We will endure this battle."

"Indeed. We shall try."

Poor Kagome. I'll try to get the next chapter up by… mid to late May, but I'll have exams and State and stuff, so it may not happen that quickly.


	5. Smoking Kills

Here is the next chapter of Fighting the Good Fight. Yes, I killed poor Kanaye. I liked him so much, I wish I could have developed him some more, kept him around, but…

For reference, yes, Yukio and Masa already knew that Kagome is a woman. And yes, Kanaye was raped. I wanted everyone to feel badly for him, so if you didn't either I didn't do my job right, or you're a heartless bastard. Either one causes problems. (Sigh)

Welcome to the fifth chapter.

July 7, founding year of Genji

Kagome cleaned her katana in a camp hidden in the forest near Kyoto. Three thousand Choshu soldiers had found their way to Kyoto, hot with righteous anger over the slaughter of their comrades. The next day they planned to march into battle.

Kagome's heart was heavy with worry though. Rumors and scouting trips hinted that their fight would be against an army of twenty thousand. There just weren't enough Choshu soldiers! Not just that, but Kagome already knew who would win the battle. She was about to fight in what would become known as the "Kinmon Incident." And she didn't know whether or not she would be one of the soldiers to survive. But she had decided to face this uncertainty head-on and have faith in her ability to fight.

Kenshin sat down beside her. For the past month, they had been training together, trying to increase their speed and strength. It had worked. But there was no knowing if it would be sufficient to live through the battle. Kagome was scared.

"We could die tomorrow," she said simply.

"We could," Kenshin confirmed.

"How very strange. Most of the time, when I've fought…" Yasha paused, not sure if she should continue. "Most of the time it's been with people stronger than me, people that I knew had good reasons to fight. These men…" Yasha looked around. "I'm not sure if they really want to fight. Some, I believe, would just as soon slaughter the rest of us in our sleep and run for the hills as fight the Shinsengumi." He paused again. "The last time I fought in a major battle, one where I truly feared for my life, I accidently killed one of my friends."

The hitokiri was silent for a moment, as if mulling the knowledge over. "The odds will be against us. I think we'll lose this battle. But we are fighting for something. We are fighting for a change while they are fighting for a tradition that most don't truly have a part in. In the end, I think we will win this war."

"Is it wrong for a hitokiri to be afraid?"

"Fear is human."

They left the subject at that comment. Neither knew if being human was good or not.

Before dawn the next day, Yasha had already assembled the remnants of his company. Kenshin accompanied him.

"Masa, you have more experience than I. Please lead our unit."

Masa bowed. "I will gladly accept this honor."

By mid-day the battle had started. Yasha tried to remain close to Masa and Yukio so that he might protect them, but after almost getting killed by a Shogunate soldier because he wasn't paying enough attention, Yasha let himself drift away.

Blood flew through the air in graceful arcs as people's flesh was torn by katana. Yasha found that his senses – useful in tracking and preventing ambushes – were more hindering than helpful. Everyone had violent energy flowing through them, whether they were friend or foe. One coming toward her from the back could be one of her friends attempting to protect her just as easily as it could be a foe trying to kill her.

Kagome whirled around and killed another man. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another Ishin Shishi man go down. The gold eyes of the wolf yokai met hers. She let her miko-ki flair up as a warning. He smirked, but kept his distance.

Kagome's face was warm with sweat and the blood of men. In town, a building burned. Kagome guessed it was the Ikedaya. It didn't matter to her. Tomoe was hidden away safely somewhere and Kagome had no interest in the politics and secrecy inherent in the causes of the battle, only in the results.

A man on the ground near her was not dead. His intestines trailed over the ground. Kagome cut off his head without looking to see if he was an ally or an enemy. She parried another attack. Kenshin was suddenly at her side.

"We need to leave. The battle is going to be lost. We hitokiri shall leave now."

Yasha nodded. "I will find Masa and Yukio. They will come with us."

"You know where to meet."

"Hai."

Kagome ran through the fray, searching for her comrades. When she found them, she pulled them along behind her. "Follow me."

They did not question her as she fought for a path for their escape. Eventually they were free and they ran for the woods. Kagome led the way to a tiny shack where Kenshin and Tomoe already waited.

"What now?" Yasha asked the younger red-head. Tomoe watched their interaction.

"We wait for Katsura-sama." He lowered his voice. "Do they know about you?"

"Iei." Yasha turned to his friends. "I am a hitokiri," he told them.

"Wait… _you're_ Battousai?!" Yukio asked.

Masa studied him silently, then shook his head.

"No, just another hitokiri. You have the right to know, in my opinion. You helped me and I think of you as friends. Hopefully we will get out of here alive; together. I trust that you guys won't give me up to the Shinsengumi."

Masa patted Yasha's shoulder. "You can trust me. You'll always have my loyalty after what I've seen from you. After what you did for Kanaye."

Kenshin and Tomoe watched the scene curiously as Yukio also patted Yasha's shoulder. "You'll get the same loyalty from me. You saved my life."

'What happened?' Kenshin wondered. He had not noticed this type of camaraderie before the festival of Gion.

"Thanks for that. Now we just need to wait. Will we be safe here?" Yasha asked Kenshin.

"We should be. Katsura-sama knows how to find us. You and I will be able to sense anyone coming in time to prepare, either to escape or to fight." Kenshin sat and leaned against a wall. Tomoe followed, sitting a few feet away.

The wait was too long. Kagome could sense men dying; her allies, her enemies. It made her antsy. But when she went outside, she could see smoke from Kyoto burning. It didn't help, so she sat down and tried to meditate, to block out the suffering taking place only a few miles away.

She slipped into a state that was only half aware of her surroundings. She heard the quiet murmur of Yukio and Masa's voices, but didn't understand the conversation. She scented smoke, but it had no meaning. It was only when she felt the gentle touch of a man's hand that she came out of her daze. Her hand was half-way to her sword when she realized it was only Kenshin. Shouts of victory rang through the still night air. Kagome knew the battle was over. She knew the Choshu had lost.

"We need to leave. They may search the area for remaining soldiers."

Yasha stood. "What about Katsura-sama?"

"He will still be close. I doubt he has died in the battle. We have another rendezvous point. I will lead us there in the morning. Tonight, we will hide."

Yasha adjusted Koga's katana and the Tetsusaiga. He and Tomoe exchanged a glance before Yasha stepped away from Kenshin, letting Tomoe take her place beside Battousai. Masa and Yukio flanked their friend. The men all kept one hand on their katanas as they fled.

Silently, they slipped through the woods, heading for the burning town. "Shouldn't we be going in the opposite direction?" Yukio whispered, his eyes flitting about nervously. "The Shogunate are still around."

"We need to meet Katsura-sama tomorrow. The soldiers will probably march out tonight. They will not have any supplies and there is nothing to be gained here."

They stopped close to the town. Form where they were, they could smell the smoke.

"I'll take first watch," Masa volunteered.

"I'll take the next then," Yasha stated. They looked toward Kenshin. He nodded.

Everyone leaned against trees or each other as Masa built a small fire. Yukio, Yasha and Masa sat near each other and stared into the fire. It looked like the watch was going to be unnecessary. None of them felt like sleeping except Tomoe.

"Yasha, tell us about yourself. I don't know much about you," Yukio said. After a moment he laughed bitterly. "I trust you with my life, yet everything I know about you should tell me to do the opposite."

Masa jabbed an elbow into his side and glanced toward Kenshin pointedly. Yukio got the idea.

"Well…" Yasha began slowly. "I was born far from here and I lived on a shrine with my mom, brother and grandfather. My father died before my younger brother was born and I don't remember him much. When I turned fifteen, some stuff happened and I ended up traveling with my friends in order to battle a man named Naraku. When we battled him for the last time I…" Yasha looked up into the sky, seeing only smoke. "I caused the deaths of some of my friends. We defeated him, but everyone I fought with, all my allies were killed. I can no longer go home. My family doesn't exist and my friends are all dead. I wandered for a bit… Slept for a long time and then left to sign my life over to the military. You guys know the rest." Yasha paused. "What about you? What's your story?"

Yukio thought about it. "Me, Masa and Kanaye were all from the same town. I was the son of the town carpenter and Kanaye's family was all farmers. Masa was a soldier, but he retired for a while. I have two sisters and a brother and Kanaye had three sisters and four brothers. His middle sister and I are engaged. Kanaye and I have been friends since we could walk. I started to learn my father's trade when I was young, but then the war broke out. Both sides kept coming around, looking for soldiers. One day Kanaye came and begged me to sign with him. Told me we could change our country for the better if we joined the Choshu. I finally agreed and we went to Masa and started begging him too. When he retired, we had started bothering him all the time to tell us stories about being a soldier, so we'd gotten to know him a bit."

Masa nodded. "I have wife waiting at home and three kids. I had a little farm waiting for me from my parents. My mother could only have one child, so I got all the land when they died."

They sat in silence and eventually all but Masa and Kenshin drifted off to sleep.

'What is he trying to hide?' Kenshin wondered. He had not missed the look Masa had thrown him. Obviously both Masa and Yukio knew something about the other user of the Hiten Misturugi Ryu that he did not. And Kenshin had a feeling that Yasha was hiding even more than that. His story had been mysteriously devoid of details. A normal man might think that Yasha had refrained from going into detail about the deaths of his friends in order not to bring up bad memories. But Kenshin's instincts were almost always right. Yasha was hiding a lot.

A few hours later, Masa woke Yasha to take the next watch. Yasha poked at the fire, keeping it going and ignoring his hunger.

After Masa was asleep, Kenshin spoke softly. "What are you hiding?"

Yasha looked up and met with suspicious gold eyes. His chest hurt briefly. "A lot. But I am not the one that betrayed the Ishin Shishi. If there's one thing I've learned it's loyalty. I've already killed some of my friends; I would never repeat the mistake."

"That's not what you're hiding. There something else. How did you cause the deaths of your friends? I can tell that there is much that you aren't telling me. I can tell that there are things that you've told them that I haven't been told. And I can tell there are things you haven't told any of us."

"There are things that are too dangerous to be known by anyone else. You are an honorable man, Kenshin-san, but power corrupts." Yasha paused. "And there are things that you will not tell us. For example, what is a fifteen-year-old boy doing here?"

Their conversation stopped there. Kagome fingered the old, tattered hilt of Tetsusaiga. She had not drawn it since she left the cave, but it stayed with her at nearly all times. Especially after the Gion festival. She could sense Kenshin's eyes on her, but pulled it from the sheath anyways. She knew it would only make him more curious about her, but she felt compelled.

Tetsusaiga was as notched and rusted as always, but the firelight still gleamed off of it in strange patterns.

Kenshin sensed something odd from the old sword. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but he knew the sword had as many secrets as the young man that owned it. When Yasha put the sword away, Kenshin finally closed his eyes and slept.

The next morning found Kenshin, Tomoe and Yasha on a bridge over a man with a cloth over his head and a bamboo mat around his shoulders. Kenshin had already visited Katagai in the early morning hours. Kagome had watched as he left, then kept watch until he returned. Masa and Yukio waited out of earshot.

"Can you trust those two men?" Katsura asked.

"Yes," Yasha answered without hesitation.

Katsura waited a moment. "Then call them over."

Yasha motioned and the two men joined them. Katsura began to speak.

"That ill-fated meeting at the Ikedaya… was intended to plan the retrieval of the emperor during the chaos created by setting fire to Kyoto."

"You were against such an atrocity," Kenshin interrupted. "Katagai-san said it was ordained by the heavens that you were the only survivor."

"But look at me now..." He wore bandages on his feet instead of sandals. "The Choshu party is near annihilation, and being chased down as the enemy of the emperor. The conservatives have regained power in Hagi, the party's capital." Katsura looked down, staring at the ground. "I will be hiding myself for a while. I cannot return to Hagi, but I will eventually be caught here."

"What will we do?" Kenshin asked. "The Kohagiya has been burnt down."

Katsura stood. "I have prepared a house in a farm village outside Kyoto. But it would be best if only you and Tomoe-kun went there. I will contact you through I'izuka. Tomoe-kun."

"Yes?"

"If you have nowhere to go… I'd like you to live there with Himura."

Tomoe looked stunned.

"A young couple blends in more easily than a young man. The arrangement can be entirely for appearances. Take care of Himura.

"And Yasha-san…"

"Yes Katsura-sama?"

"If you trust those two, go with them to their village and lay low there. You can communicate with me through Himura."

Katsura walked away with them all watching. Tomoe turned her face toward Kenshin.

"What shall we do? I don't have anywhere to go…"

"Everyone has somewhere to go. If you need travel funds, I'll provide them."

Kenshin continued to look off into the distance as Tomoe watched him. Kagome and the other two men observed the scene in silence. To Kagome, it was reminiscent of Kikyo and Inuyasha. Tomoe was so coldly beautiful.

Kenshin let out a puff of air and some of his tension seemed to melt away. "…I know. That's the coward's way out." Kenshin looked at Tomoe, his scarred cheek facing her. He was serious, but prepared for rejection. "Stay with me. I don't know how long I can be with you, but… I don't want it for appearances. I want you with me…" The words 'until death parts us' hung between them. Tomoe nodded and Kagome turned away from the scene.

"Kenshin-san, Tomoe-san," Yasha said after a moment. "This is where we'll separate. Good luck."

The couple watched them go. "And to you," Tomoe called.

Kagome knew Tomoe spoke of the secret she had somehow sensed at their first meeting and paused. She turned sorrowful eyes back to her fellow woman and saw the same thing reflected in the black depths.

"We are even Tomoe-san. You know my secret… but I also know yours." Kagome tapped her heart and walked away, Yukio and Masa at her sides. "You've lost someone too," Kagome whispered to herself.

Kenshin watched the exchange silently. When the three soldiers were out of sight, he led the way in the opposite direction.

In a prison in Hagi, Takasugi Shinsaku sat against a wall, books littering the floor around him and his hand over his mouth.

"He got married?! But he's barely grown up! That is so funny! Wahahahaha!"

"This is no laughing matter, Shinsaku!" Yamagata Kyosuke said, reprimanding as he sat formally, with his fists on his legs. "These are dark times. What is he thinking?" Kyosuke was angry, but Shinsaku seemed unconcerned.

"What are you saying, Kyosuke?" Kof. Kof. "Kogoro, as grim as he seems…" Kofkof. "… Is also relaxing with his Ikumatsu."

KOF.

"Katsura-san and a hitokiri are in very different positions," Kyosuke said angrily.

Shinsaku drew his hand away from his mouth and looked down at it. "Not so different." Shinsaku was calm. His hand was covered in blood, with more dripping from the sides of his mouth onto his clothes. "After I'm gone, Katsura and Himura will both be defenders of the new era. How can you trust the nation to a man who won't take care of the woman he loves?"

Kyosuke stared at Shinsaku's hand in stunned silence before he spoke with a trembling voice. "After you're gone…? Shinsaku, are your lungs…?"

Shinsaku broke out of his trance and slapped his blood-covered hand onto his knee. "Don't worry, Kyosuke. I'm not planning to die yet. Do you think I would let myself die after they've thrown me in here for trying to leave the faction?!

"Himura! Leave Hagi up to me!" Shinsaku crowed. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Don't let go of that woman and Kyoto even if it means your life!!"

_Katsura Kogoro's downfall. Takasugi Shinsaku's disease._

_Amid such turning points, the two began their new life together._

_Founding year of Genji, midsummer._

_Kenshin: Fifteen._

_Tomoe: Eighteen._

~~~~~~*~~~~~~~

Ha! Take that! Two chapters of two stories in one day! Shall I try for a third?

… Probably not.

This Chapter was brought to you by my twisted mind, Rumiko Takahashi and Act 170 of the Rurouni Kenshin manga, by Nobuhiro Watsuki. I own nothing, not even a good portion of the plot, since it's coming almost (exactly) directly from Vol. 20 of the manga sometimes…

REVIEWS PLZ!!!


	6. Autumn

Yasha held onto his katana tightly as he, Masa and Yukio rode in the back of a cart on their way to the Shinano Providence. It had been a week since they had split up with Kenshin and Tomoe and they were almost to Masa and Yukio's village. They would arrive the next day.

Though a road had been made, Kagome recognized her surroundings. She and the rest of the Inu-tachi had traveled this way during their journey to collect shards. The wolf clan had lived nearby. She wondered happened to Ayame after Koga's death. The young wolf hadn't been seen for a few months before the death of Naraku and no one thought to ask Koga about her. Had she still been alive when they fought Naraku? Had she died since then? It was all ancient history, yet Kagome still wondered if any of the demons she'd known were still alive.

A tremendous bump knocked her from her musings. The sun was setting. Yasha turned to the cart driver.

"Are we stopping for the night soon?"

"There's an inn up ahead where we can stay cheap for a few coins. I'll stop there. It's not safe to stop along the roadside too often in these times."

That was part of the reason the man was allowing them along. He saw three armed men and thought they were either men that would rob him as he slept and kill him if he woke or men needing transportation that could act as a guard. It had taken work to convince him they were the second.

The driver pulled behind the inn and they all hopped down from the cart. From inside, they could hear laughter. Masa pulled Yasha aside. "One of us should check for Shogunate soldiers before we all go in."

Yasha nodded. "I'll do it. Hold onto my katana for me." He removed it from his sash, but left Tetsusaiga. "You'll hear if anything starts to happen."

Yasha left his companions and entered the inn. Tables were set up around the edges of the dining room on short platforms. Several women were serving drinks. Almost all of the patrons were men but there were a few couples and a family with two children, a young boy and a younger girl. The boy appeared to be around four while the girl was still a baby, probably about a year old.

The four were at one of the low tables and the father was spoon feeding the baby a bit of soup. The boy had already finished eating and was fidgeting as his mother held his arm with on hand and used her other to eat her soup.

Yasha knew the exact moment everyone noticed him. The inn went silent and everyone stared at his sword. Yasha bowed.

"Excuse me. Is the owner of this inn available?"

A middle-aged man stepped forward. He glared at Yasha suspiciously. "We don't want trouble-makers here."

"My friends and I do not intend to cause any trouble," he looked at the patrons again. None appeared to be soldiers and few were armed. "We are acting as guards for a man on our way to my friends' village." The owner still looked uncomfortable. "If it will make you and your patrons feel better, the three of us will sleep in the stable. We would just like somewhere dry to sleep tonight. The farmer will want a room though."

Yasha turned to leave. "Wait," someone called. He looked to see what the person wanted.

The father stood, holding his baby daughter. He walked over to the owner and began arguing with him in a low voice. The little boy was tugging at his mother's hand and pointing at Yasha.

"Mama, mama, he has a sword. Can I have a sword?"

The owner and the father seemed to come to an agreement. The owner turned and went back to the kitchen. The farmer beckoned Yasha over.

"I am Higashidani Kamishimoemon and this is my daughter, Higashidani Uki. My wife, Naname and son Sanosuke are at the table. I convinced the inn keeper to let you stay the night, in exchange for one of you keeping watch at a time."

" Thank you. I am Yasha. My friends Masa and Yukio are outside."

"Masa and Yukio? You wouldn't happen to know a young man named Kanaye, would you?" The mother had heard the conversation.

Yasha looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "Hai. Knew him. Why?"

"I am his sister. What do you mean _knew_ him?"

Yasha looked at Kamishimoemon and could tell he understood. "Naname, why don't we let him call in Masa and Yukio before we start asking them too many questions. Head up to the room with the kids. I'll show them up in a minute."

Naname nodded. Her expression was slowly becoming more sorrowful. Yasha felt compassion for the woman and watched as she took her baby and son upstairs.

"Tell me now," Kamishimoemon said, leading Yasha to the table where his wife had previously sat.

"Masa, Kanaye, Yukio and I joined the Ishin Shishi together. They found me on the road to join the army and took me in. We joined without a problem, started training. We were all put in the same squad and did quite well. As a team, we were perfect. A few weeks ago, though, I was ambushed by several Mimawarigumi men. I killed them all, but somehow they tracked me – us – down. We went to the festival of Gion and Kanaye went back early with Yukio. The Shinsengumi burned down the Ikeda-ya and attacked the camp while I was trying to avoid capture. I threw them off and met up with Masa. We got to the camp, but the Shinsengumi got there before us.

"Everyone that was at the camp was dead. Captain Ryuichi was the only one that was still alive. I… I assisted seppuku. Kanaye had been…. Molested and killed. Yukio was in the woods, almost dead. He'd escaped, I think hoping Kanaye would follow. We managed to save him, but…"

The two sat silently for a moment. "Naname should hear how he died, but… leave out the part about him being…."

"Yes. Let me go get Yukio and Masa."

Kamishimoemon watched Masa walk out then studied his rough hands. He had worked the fields his entire life, as had his predecessors. His wife came from a long line of farmers as well. Kanaye had been the only to leave their farm in three generations.

He sighed and stood, going toward the door to wait for the soldiers.

-Outside-

Yasha finished explaining the situation to the cart owner and pulled Yukio and Masa aside. When they were out of the farmer's hearing range, Kagome stopped.

"Kanaye's sister and brother-in-law are in there."

"What? Naname-san and Kamishimoemon-san? Shit," Yukio said.

"Did you tell them?" Masa asked.

Kagome shook her head. "I told Kamishimoemon-san the full story, but I wanted to wait until the two of you were there until I told her. I don't think we should tell her everything. She doesn't need to know what he suffered. It's bad enough that he died and we had to bury him in an unmarked grave."

"Agreed. Is Sanosuke-kun here too?"

"Yes, what do you think, should we tell him too?"

"Yes. He should know what happened to his uncle." Masa crossed his arms. "Let's go in."

"Hold on. The agreement with the inn owner to let us stay here is for one of us to keep watch at a time. If you want, I'll take first watch while you two go in."

"The watch can wait for a little while. All of us should go in." Masa turned and walked back to the farmer. Yukio didn't move and Kagome paused.

"I miss him. He shouldn't have died. He shouldn't have suffered. I'm so pissed about those damn Shogunate soldiers and there's nothing I can do about it. He was gonna be my brother-in-law. What am I supposed to tell Michiko? That I ran away while her brother was dying? Could I have saved him?"

"Yukio, when we found you, you were almost dead. You would have been dead if I hadn't drawn out powers that I haven't used in… a really long time. There was nothing you could have done except watch him be raped or been right beside him, suffering the same. You will tell Michiko that you did everything you could, but were too late. You will tell her that you almost died with him." Kagome nudged Yukio lightly. "Let's go in."

Yukio watched Yasha take a few steps before he followed. Masa was waiting by the entrance of the inn with Yasha's sword. Yasha put the katana back where it belonged and the two paused for Yukio to catch up. The three then entered together.

Kamishimoemon led them up to the room his family was staying in. Naname had put Uki on a futon to sleep while she and Sanosuke waited for the men to return.

They sat around a low table and Naname poured tea for all of them. After she finished she sat on her heels, clutching the cup in her tan hands. "Tell me what happened, please."

"We were stationed outside of Kyoto, at a secret camp. The festival of Gion was going on, so most of us went into town to celebrate. I left a little after Masa, Yukio and Kanaye and tried to find them. About an hour after I got to the festival though, the Ikeda-ya was attacked. A meeting between some of our leaders was supposed to take place there that night. Only a few people should have known about it, so there must have been a leak. The same with the camp. Someone told the Shinsengumi and the Mimawarigumi where both were.

"I found a friend of mine and we ran. After we had escaped, I separated from him and went back to camp where I met up with Masa. The camp was mostly destroyed and there was several fires going. Most of the men that were at the camp at the time of the ambush were killed. Kanaye was among them." Yasha looked away as Naname gasped.

"Was… do you think he suffered?"

Yasha glanced at his friends and Kamishimoemon. They nodded slightly and he clenched his eyes shut to gather his strength. When he opened them, he stared openly at Naname, wanting to give her that honor. "He did, but his suffering was over when we found him."

The seemingly strong woman began to sob. Her son looked shocked and scared. Yasha felt a bit ashamed, but knew the right thing had been done. He stood and looked to his friends they nodded at him and Masa gestured toward the door. Yasha left, leaving his companions to stay with Naname and her family.

Downstairs, Yasha paused and told the inn owner where Yukio and Masa were, then went out to the barn to take first watch. The night was quiet and still. She settled in and concentrated her senses to make sure no one could sneak up on her.

She had been out there for half an hour when she noticed a small presence approach. She opened her eyes to see Sanosuke watching her.

"Mama is crying. Uncle Kanaye isn't coming home right? That's what "dead" means, right?"

Kagome patted the ground beside her for Sanosuke to sit. "Yes, that is what it means. Don't worry about him though; he'll be happy where he is."

"I remember Uncle Kanaye. He was nice and fun. Mama always used to make him watch me when she was busy. She cried when he left before too… I miss him." The little boy began to cry.

Kagome petted his wild hair and he leaned against her. "I miss him too. He was my best friend. But here's a secret: I was able to talk to his spirit after he died. He was okay. And someday we'll see him again. But not for a long time."

"Why did they hurt him though? Uncle Kanaye is nice. He never hurt nobody!"

"We are soldiers. Soldiers are people who fight for something they believe in so they can help protect or change the places they live. There are other soldiers who believe in something different than Kanaye and Masa and Yukio and I. It isn't that they are bad people, but they have families they want to protect too. In the end, war is about change. You uncle and Yukio and Masa and I want to change Japan to make it a better place to live, so we are fighting. The other side is fighting to keep Japan the way it is."

Kagome could see little Sano trying to understand what she was saying. She shook her head. He was too young to have to be exposed to the horrors of war. He must have only been about six years old. Soon he drifted off to sleep, tears still wetting his cheeks.

~~~…~~~

Several months had passed since Kagome, Masa and Yukio had arrived in the village in the Shinano Province. The leaves were changing colors and Kagome was getting restless. She had been helping at the temple in town and hadn't seen much of Kanaye's family since they had arrived. She felt that Naname couldn't help blaming her a bit for Kanaye's death.

Sometimes she felt guilty about his death as well. However, she knew she had done all she could for him.

So, she left Naname alone. Yukio and Michiko had married and moved in together as soon as he had returned. Masa was back to farming with his family. But Kagome was in limbo. Sometimes she helped her friends, but mostly she managed a small garden in the temple or kept the temple clean.

"Oi, Yasha!"

Yasha looked up and smiled. "I'izuka. How are you?" The normal taint was invading his aura, no darker than before. At first, the darkness had worried Yasha, but he figured it was due to the horrors of war.

"Eh. Alright I suppose. And you?"

"The same. What news?"

"None. No one knows where Katsura-san is."

"And the capitol?"

"Bloody. The Shogunate controls it."

Yasha frowned and stared at the ground. "It's frustrating, not knowing what to do. If I stay here, I won't be helping the cause. If I leave and try to join the fighting again, I may hinder our cause…"

"Himura is still laying low in the countryside. It is probably best that you do the same."

Yasha growled lowly. "I don't think I can. I've been wandering for years. I don't think I can stop now. I need something to do and tending to a temple garden isn't it." Yasha came to a resolution. "I'm no use here. For my sake at least, I need to leave."

I'izuka blinked, shocked. "But… what of your friends. What of Katsura-san?"

The hitokiri gazed toward the village wistfully. "They have families. They have livelihoods. They will be fine. As for Katsura-san, when he resurfaces, I'm sure I will hear about it. I'm sure we all will hear about it."

"But he asked you to stay here. What if he needs to find you?"

"Katsura-san will have to make do with Kenshin-san. He was doing fine before I joined up. Besides…" But Yasha trailed off, thinking about the mysterious traitor that had given away the meeting at the Ikeda-ya. "I have other things I want to take care of."

I'izuka seemed like he wanted to argue more, but a glare from Yasha cut him off. He sighed, resigned. "As you wish, Yasha-san. So you are abandoning the cause?"

"No, merely changing my role."

They parted shortly afterwards, I'izuka maintaining his guise as a medicine merchant. The man walked toward Kenshin's hiding spot. He would not arrive for many days and the trip would be even longer than it would normally take. He had other stops to make and other plots that he was a part of. Before the week was up, he met with his coconspirators.

"The other hitokiri is leaving his hiding spot. I don't believe he will be a problem any longer."

"Good. Then it is only Battosai that we need to worry about."

~~~...~~~

Kagome left without saying goodbye. She knew Masa and Yukio would only want to join her and she did not want to take them from their families until the Choshu was ready to continue fighting, united against the Shogunate.

She went first to the cave where Miroku and Sango's weapons were still stored. It took her several weeks to find the cave where she had spent several centuries, but determination to find the weapons fueled her. These were things that she could not just leave behind. The Hiraikotsu had been a unique weapon in the Sengoku Jidai and after three-hundred years, it was one-of-a-kind. Few weapons made from demon bone existed and the Hiraikotsu meant a lot to Kagome.

Miroku's staff also had sentimental value. Though it was nowhere near as unique as Sango's weapon, it had been Miroku's and therefore had reiki embedded in it.

She headed toward Kyoto with the weapons in tow. When someone looked at her funny, she smiled and nodded and continued walking. She slept on the ground in the forest at night and didn't bother eating unless it was convenient. As she had discovered after the final battle with Naraku, she didn't need to eat in order to stay alive.

She hoped she was heading in the right direction. She wanted to go to Kyoto, but she also wanted to stop at the ruins of the village of taijiya. She had a feeling that it had never been rebuilt. The many deaths that occurred there would dissuade people from using that land again. However, the nearby cave where the Shikon no Tama had been created might draw demons searching for the fabled jewel. Kagome felt that the cave should be protected as a monument to Midoriko's sacrifice. Besides, it was one place that Kagome always knew she would be able to return to. Since the Shikon no Tama had been absorbed into her body, she felt a connection to the cave. It would be a safe place to set up base and leave the mementos of her friends.

It only took a few days. Trees and other plants had taken over the village, but Kagome could still see where the houses had been. The buildings had crumbled, but the stones from the roofs showed where they had once stood. It was peaceful, much more so than it had been when she and her friends had first arrived there.

The area that held the bones of Sango's loved ones was covered in flowers. Kagome thought that was perfect. She plucked the stones from the ruins of houses and placed them around the old graveyard, outlining it. When she had finished, it looked like a cultivated garden.

The next day, Kagome continued on to Midoriko's cave. There was evidence of demons having been there, but none had disturbed what was left of Midoriko's epic battle. Perhaps they couldn't. The barrier that had thrown Inuyasha out many years ago was still in place. Only those that could sympathize with the miko could enter the cave.

Kagome added to that barrier and disguised the entrance so that any who were seeking the Shikon no Tama would only see a solid mountain. Kagome set up camp near the entrance of the cave and began to plan.

None of her friends would be safe until the man who betrayed them was found and – she was not happy to think – executed. She knew that she may know the person that had sold Katsura-san out. She knew she may even like that person. But she also knew that the Shogunate would not win the war. Finding the traitor would only be one part of winning the war.

"I know it's not Masa or Yukio and I know it's not Katsura or Kenshin. Masa and Yukio would not have been able to get away long enough and they didn't have access to that knowledge anyways. Katsura-san has nothing to gain from betraying us and besides, he almost died in that attack too. Kenshin…" She paused in her monologue. "Kenshin-san truly believes in this cause. He wouldn't betray it. So who have access to important information?"

Her lack of knowledge was frustrating. She had been with the military camp most of the time, rather than with Katsura. Kenshin would know more than she did about who could have known about the Ikeda-ya meeting, but she didn't know where he was hiding.

'I could try to track him down,' she thought to herself. Then she shook her head. 'No. That could take months. I'izuka might know where he is, but I don't know where I'izuka is either… And he would have known about the meeting. I can't fully trust him. I guess the fastest way to figure it out… might be to go to Kyoto and look for answers there.'

Kagome smiled. It was good to have a purpose again.

The next day, Kagome gathered plants in the forest and took them to the nearest village.

"Healing herbs," Yasha called out. "I have plants for stomach aches, migraines and swollen joints. I can make a paste to help heal wounds."

The interest at first was low. People were wary of strangers during war times. But when Kagome saw a little boy fall, she went to him and made the paste she was advertising. She applied it to his scrapes and the blood stopped quickly. The boy's mother bought a potion for morning sickness. Her brother then came for a remedy for joint pain. His neighbor wanted a plant to help with his wife's headaches.

Soon Kagome had sold all of her remedies. She stopped her last customer before he left. "Excuse me, but is there anyone that sells clothing in this village? I promised my sister that I would buy her some new clothes if I sold everything."

The man smiled. "There is. Keep going down this street. At the end, there is an old woman that makes and sells clothing."

Kagome bowed her thanks and followed his directions. "Excuse me, obaa-san. Are you the woman that sells clothing?"

The old woman nodded. "Yes, young man. What do you need?"

"My sister is a miko and she is going to start traveling soon. Do you have red hakama and white haori?"

The clothing maker took Yasha inside and showed him what he had asked for. "Not many ask for these now. They are not really in style anymore. And I have had these for years, probably. Do you still want them?"

"Yes, ma'am." Yasha paid for his goods and started to leave, but turned back. "Um… Would this be enough for a kimono as well?"

The woman frowned. "I'm sorry. It is not. But… are you the young man that was selling medicines in town earlier?"

"Yes."

"Do you think you could bring some joint medicine along tomorrow?"

"Of course."

"Then you may have the kimono as well. Take your pick."

Kagome chose a simple blue one with a white star pattern and a lighter blue obi. "Thank you, obaa-san. I will have my sister bring the medicine tomorrow."

She went back to Midoriko's cave, happy with her purchases. As soon as she dropped them off, she located the medicinal plants she would need and memorized their location so she could pick them fresh in the morning.

~~~…~~~

By noon the next day, Kagome was well on her way to Kyoto. She had left her man's clothing behind in her camp, along with Sango and Miroku's weapons. She had debated leaving her swords too, but after months with them at her side it didn't feel right to leave them behind. Besides, she was a wandering miko. A woman. She would not be suspected of being an imperialist.

_A.N._ Holy shit. I didn't realize it had been over a year since I updated this. I am so sorry guys. If any of you have stuck with this from the start, thanks a ton. I'll try not to let you guys down.


	7. Hen in the Foxhouse

Kagome was trying to think like a woman again. She'd learned to walk differently, talk differently, act differently. But slipping back into womanhood was like putting on her favorite dress. It still felt comfortable, natural. It was being a miko that felt weird. She had been a school girl pretending at being a village miko. Now she had to _be_ a miko. She went into town with a pack and a basket full of herbs and began to search.

She would find the enemy and she would worm her way in. It was far easier than she thought to track them down. The Mibu prowled around Kyoto as if they owned it. They drank, ate out and harassed anyone looking at them wrong. When they looked at Kagome, she smiled and nodded shyly.

They hooted after her. Kagome didn't mind. If they remembered her as a beautiful woman, she would not be seen as a threat. The only soldier she did her best to avoid was the wolf demon that had noticed her that last night in Kyoto. She may be dressed as a woman, but if he had caught her scent… well, that had not changed.

~~~…~~~

Kagome smiled and poured the Mibu soldier another cup of sake. He was already drunk, but continued requesting more from the young miko.

She'd presented herself to the inn about a month ago, requesting a place to stay for the winter and a small salary in return for serving the soldiers and providing her expertise to the elderly owner. The kind man knew her as a reliable worker. The soldiers thought her a charming girl, if off limits. Only she knew what her true purpose was.

But she was impatient. Through her work, she had made some progress. Lower level officers stayed in the inn and meetings occurred with high ups on occasion, but up until that point, she had not been told to serve the meals and sake at those meetings.

"Kikyo," the soldier slurred. She had taken her predecessor's name to further her disguise. "Kikyo, why won't you ever come back to my room with me?"

Kagome slipped from his hand and smiled gently. "I am a former miko. We have secrets that should not be shared."

The soldiers were not deterred. Others joined in. "But Kikyo, we'd love to know your secrets," one leered.

She backed away with a bow. "Let me retrieve more sake," she said, smiling gently.

The men didn't voice any opposition to that. Kagome left the room and went to retrieve the promised drinks, stepping out into the cool air for a break as the set the sake near the stove to heat.

She was beginning to lose track of time. When she left Masa and Yukio behind, it was autumn, but autumn had swiftly turned to winter. It was already November.

Kyoto was dangerous with the bakufu running unchecked. Anyone suspected of being Ishin Shishi was slaughtered in the street. Kagome had no doubt that the snow that had started to lightly dust the city would be melted not by the light of day but by the bloodshed at night.

She hated it. Occasionally she would catch a glimpse of someone familiar, but they were trying to be as incognito as she was.

The inn she was at was the perfect meeting place for the officers of the Shinsengumi. Some of them had to know who the spy within the imperialist's ranks was, but none had let it slip yet. She had learned that their spies were not as successful as they wished. She had learned that while the Shogunate held Kyoto, the imperialists were getting restless. Scouts had been captured and killed in droves. Both the Bakufu and the Ishin Shishi were looking for Katsura, but neither had much success.

Kagome's guess was that he was lying low with his lover until the right time. She had no doubt that he knew who and where his supporters were.

When Kagome returned with the sake, another man had joined the gathering. She deduced that he outranked the other men, or at least scared them quite a bit.

"I've heard word that the hitokiri battosai might soon be out of it," she caught one of the lower-ranked men saying.

The new man grunted noncommittally and Kagome poured him some sake, pretending not to notice the way his eyes roamed her form. Her heart pounded.

"There's a rumor that someone has a plot to take care of him before the year is up," another man added. It was clear that they were trying to get the other man to tell them something.

"There are always plots to kill key players. Who knows how many have been formed and discarded."

"So many plots against him, but no one knows where he lives? Or whether he lives? Maybe he died and his body is in a pit. What of the other hitokiri?"

A snort. "Battosai lives, but if things work as they should, he will be dead soon. The other hitokiri is nothing to worry about yet. He's on the move, but without an army to hide behind, he'll soon reveal himself."

The slight suspicion Kagome was feeling bloomed into a near panic. The traitor was so close. There were so few men that he could be. Masa and Yukio undoubtedly knew by now that she had left and could easily guess where she would go. The only one they would tell, barring that Kenshin or Katsura had not gone to visit, was I'izuka. He was also the only man that knew exactly where Kenshin and her friends were.

Kagome hid her fear and smiled at the man who had appreciated her form so much, since he was watching her again. The other men noticed.

"Ah, Kikyo-san has taken a liking to you then, Mitsuharu-sama."

Kagome laughed. "No more than any of you. I was just impressed with his knowledge. Obviously, he is one of the men that are helping to plan the Battosai's downfall. Who couldn't help but to be impressed? He's killed so many you, my friends." She managed to smile again. "What would you like in celebration, Mitsuharu-sama? Plum wine? More sake?"

He captured her wrist and pulled her down to her knees beside him. "You are an aruki miko, are you not? Why don't you help me celebrate?"

Her heart pounded. He was an attractive man, but she was no prostitute. "I am inexperienced in the ways of aruki miko, Mitsuharu-san," she demurred.

"Are you really?" He asked, pulling her slightly closer. "I can do something about that inexperience."

"Mitsuharu-sama, I am no prostitute and have no desire to become one. Let me get you all some plum wine." She pulled away from the man and left swiftly. She hurried to where the inn kept their alcohol and stopped there, shaking as she kneeled beside the rack the wine was on.

She heard footsteps and prayed for them to pass her by. She was not so lucky.

"Kikyo-san, I meant no disrespect. In these times, travelling miko are generally prostitutes. I see now that you are not. Forgive me for my mistake. I did not mean to frighten you." He kneeled beside her.

Kagome looked up at him. He was a handsome man, probably around twenty-five years old. His hair was shiny and slightly wavy in its topknot. If she were to take a lover, he would not be the worst one to have. "As I said, I am inexperienced in those ways. I was just frightened."

Mitsuharu reached out and twisted a lock of her hair around one finger. "I thought it was impossible to find a girl of your age now that was still chaste in these days. You are close to eighteen years, yes?"

"Yes."

"Were it not for the war, you could be married and have children by now. The war has upset the natural order of things. You should be home, protected, instead of traveling and in danger from men like me," he told her with a wry smile. "Who are your people?"

"I have no family anymore. And I like traveling. I enjoy the freedom." It was more open than she had been with someone in a while.

"Was it the war that took them from you?"

"No, the war is not to blame for that. What about you? Have you no wife waiting at home for you to return?"

"No, there is no woman waiting for me at home. I was married, but she died before our married life had lasted very long. Illness took her and my unborn child. When the war began, I joined instead of finding a new wife. Though you would not make a bad one," he told her, allowing her to see his gaze roaming her body again. "You are beautiful, Kikyo-san."

Kagome blushed. "Thank you."

Mitsuharu stood and offered her his hand. She took it and allowed him to help her to her feet. "We should return before they decide that you have taken me up on my offer."

Kagome nodded and got a bottle of plum wine. "You were just helping me retrieve this from a shelf too high for me to reach," she told him with a mischievous smile.

He laughed. "I see."

"Are there really plans to see the battosai dead?" She asked.

"There are. Before the year is up, as I said. On the first of the new year, you will see his fresh head displayed as a traitor to Japan," he told her.

She shuddered. "Another victory for the Shogunate."

"Yes and an important one."

~~~…~~~

The next morning, Kagome used her meager wages to get the necessary materials to write and send a message. She knew the message could be easily intercepted.

"_I have heard word that the traveling medicine man's wares are not as he says. His medicines can cause death! Beware what he sells. I may return soon with better medicine from the capital._

_I have heard he has also been selling his medicines to our friend and his wife. I'm going to make sure they're okay._

_Ever your friend,_

_Kagome."_

She opted to send it to Masa instead of Yukio, as Masa was more familiar with the games of war. He would understand what she was trying to say before Yukio would and would not act rashly. I'izuka had likely caused the death of their best friend by selling out the camp to the Shinsengumi. Yukio would want revenge.

In the meantime, Kagome wanted to find Kenshin before I'izuka's comrades sold him out completely. If she could warn him in time, he might be safe. The younger man was smart, but she had a feeling that he trusted too easily.

The problem with finding her fellow hitokiri was that the only clue she had to his whereabouts were Katsura's words, "I have prepared a house in a farm village outside Kyoto."

There were many farm villages outside Kyoto and they would all be wary of a stranger coming to look for a newlywed couple. Though they may be less suspicious of a miko looking for the best places to gather herbs.

Kagome contemplated that as she made her way home. Using that as an excuse to go from town to town wouldn't draw as much suspicion. It would take away from the time that she worked at the inn, but she could make up for that by working at night. She didn't need to sleep.

"Kikyo-san, wait a moment."

Kagome stopped in the doorway of the inn. The owner was approaching slowly, using his cane for support. In his other hand, he held a box out to her. "That man from last night brought this for you."

Her brow furrowed. "The man? Which man?"

"Mitsuharu-san."

Kagome took the box. "Thank you." She opened it. Inside were several sweets. She smiled.

"That man seemed fond of you. He asked if you would be working tonight as well."

"Did you tell him I would be?"

"I told him you happened to have the evening off," the old inn-keeper smiled smugly.

Kagome sighed, lamenting meddling old men. "Why did you tell him that?"

"Because I think you should be allowed to have fun occasionally."

She shook her head at the old man. "Won't you need help tonight?"

"I will manage for one night."

"If you say so… By the way, do you mind if I only work at night from now on? I was going to try to find some medicinal plants around Kyoto during the day. I thought they might help with your joint pain."

He took her hand. "If you could, I would appreciate it. My joints get worse every day."

That night, Mitsuharu came just as Kagome was finished washing the dishes from dinner.

"Kikyo-san."

"Mitsuharu-san. What are you doing here?"

"Did you get my gift earlier today?"

"I did. They were delicious."

"I'm glad you enjoyed them. Taro-san told me you were free tonight. Would you like to go out for a little while?"

Kagome looked down at herself. "If you can give me a few moments to get cleaned up, I would love to."

"Of course. If you'd like to bathe, I'd be glad to help."

Kagome laughed and gave him a gentle shove. "Mitsuharu-san, if you'd like to bathe, I believe the baths down the road are public."

"Would you like to go to those then?" he asked, smiling so she'd know he was teasing her.

She smiled. "If you'd like to sit and wait for me, I believe that the dining rooms are full, but you may wait in my room."

"I will take you up on that."

Kagome bathed quickly and changed from her red hakama and white haori into an indigo kimono with a pale orange obi.

Mitsuharu was examining her swords when she returned. He'd already examined and discarded Koga's former katana and was instead focused on Tetsusaiga. He looked up at her as she entered her room.

"They were given to me when my friends passed away," she said, taking Tetsusaiga from him and looking over it fondly.

"There's something interesting about that one."

"It's special," Kagome said, taking the sheath from him as well and putting the sword away. "It was passed from father to son. It's hundreds of years old."

"The friend you received it from was also special, was he not?"

Kagome interpreted his gaze correctly. "We would have married had he not died." She placed both swords back where they belonged beside her bed roll.

"Can you use them?"

"Well, the one is almost useless for me to use in battle. But yes, I may not be as skilled as a Shinsengumi captain, but I do know how to defend myself."

"I suppose that is a good thing in times like these, for a lone woman to be able to defend herself."

"I'm better with a bow, but my friends were all warriors and they taught me a little with their weapons of choice."

"In which battle did they die?"

She shook her head. "Not one from this war. I've been alone for a while now."

They left and walked around Kyoto. The city was still recovering, and soldiers roamed the streets looking for fights, but no one bothered her with Mitsuharu with her. He was a tall man and a little more muscular than Inuyasha had been. That along with his status as a leader of the Shinsengumi meant that they were left in peace.

When it began to snow, Mitsuharu bought her a jacket that matched her kimono, despite her protests. They listened to a few performers in the street and Mitsuharu tipped them generously. They spoke of growing up, he as the son of a samurai and she as a shrine maiden. Kagome found herself having a good time, despite being with one that would want her dead if he knew of her associations.

Somehow, her plans of wandering the country outside Kyoto for herbs came up.

"I'd like to come with you if you do that. It can be quite dangerous out there."

"No one will speak to me if I have a soldier with me. I'd like to actually find what I'm looking for," she responded.

"It's not safe for a lone woman, though. You could easily be injured, or worse."

"I will be fine, Mitsuharu-san. And if you insist on coming with me, I will be forced to leave before dawn so that I may avoid you."

"If you do so, I will just sleep outside your door so you have to climb over me to leave."

"I can be very quiet, that might not be a problem."

Mitsuharu sighed. "At least let me come with you a few times, so that they all know you are under the protection of the Shinsengumi."

"Am I? I thought I was under my own protection."

"You are under mine as well, Kikyo-san. And therefore you are under the protection of the Shinsengumi as well."

"I don't want them to know that. They may not take it well."

"Then I will not go while in my uniform. I will dress as a normal man and I will just be your fiancé protecting you while you collect medicine."

"A miko's fiancé? That is no better."

"In these days, it is better than a miko travelling by herself. You may be accosted by men thinking as I did."

"Mitsuharu-san, I will be fine. But if it makes you feel better, you may come with me three times and three times only."

"Fine, but I will make the decision on which three times it is that I go. And you have to tell me where you're going before I make that decision."

"Alright. Tomorrow I will set out in toward the east. Are you coming with me?"

It was more clever than she originally thought. Each evening she would tell him where she planned to go the next day and he would tell her whether or not he was going with her. She quickly discovered that he only accepted when she was heading north. It gave her a very good idea of where Kenshin might be hiding.

The people in the villages around Kyoto were as suspicious as she believed they would be.

Kagome walked through another village, trying to meet people's eye with a smile. Beside her, Mitsuharu walked with his arms crossed, his right hand resting near his katana. No one seemed to want to speak to them, despite Kagome's overtures of friendship.

She sighed. "It will be impossible to find the herbs I need for Taro-san's joint pain if no one will speak with me." She slyly looked at Mitsuharu from the corner of her eye. "I suppose it is well that this is your second outing with me. One more and I may be able to explore in peace!"

He laughed at her. He was not nearly as bundled up as her and was probably quite cold, but had given her his jacket after seeing that she had forgotten the one he had bought her on their evening around Kyoto. "Perhaps you would have more luck in the south." They reached a fork in the road and Kagome started off to the right. Mitsuharu put out a hand to stop her. "Why don't we try the other way first? I see more woods that way."

Kagome looked back and forth between the two paths. They looked as though there were equal amounts of undeveloped land to each way. "As you say," she acquiesced, keeping in mind that he did not want her to venture down the right fork.

Mitsuharu had proven several times that he was very protective of her. She found it likely that he would try to keep her away from the hitokiri battosai if he could.

That evening, several weeks after beginning her search, she received a letter from Masa.

"_Thank you for your advice regarding the medicine man, but we haven't seen him since you left._

_How are the newlyweds though? I hope they did not partake of his wares._

_Yukio and I both fare well, though we hope to see or hear from you soon. If you need any help bring your medicines from the capital, let us know and we will travel there to help._

_Affection,_

_Masa._"

The end of the year drew closer and there was still no word of Katsura, though Kagome heard that Takasugi Shinsaku had risen up, despite rumors of illness. Mitsuharu kept her up-to-date on the state of the war, even while he brought her small presents and courted her.

She found, despite herself, that she liked him quite a bit. It made her sad to think that they might one day meet in battle and he would not even recognize her. She found, when she thought of that, that she was sure she could not kill him.

Two days before the new year and Kagome could feel that time was running out. Mitsuharu seemed distracted and she remembered his words about Kenshin dying before the new year and his head being displayed as the next year began. She was sure the plot assumed his death would be fresh for them to display his head.

Kagome and Mitsuharu were taking a break from the other Shinsengumi by stepping outside and watching the snow. Mitsuharu put an arm around her, looking up at the clouds.

"For people like you, I want to protect this city and our country," he told her. "The Ishin Shishi cannot accomplish their goals without the hitokiri and very, very soon, they will no longer have him." He looked down at her. "I suppose it is safe to tell you. Katsura Kogoro's advisor found out about the plan to kill the battosai. He's dead and they will be making a move on the battosai soon. Tomorrow or the next day. We can toast his death with plum wine at the new year and watch the sunrise without worry that he will come down from the roof to slaughter one of our own."

Kagome's heart froze as Mitsuharu leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of her head. Had he not been talking of killing one of her friends, the sentiment of protecting his country for _her_ may have seemed romantic. "Talk of death seems like a bad omen for the new year."

"Talk of killing traitors to our country is not though."

Kagome huddled closer to Mitsuharu. "I'll be going north again tomorrow. I liked some of the herbs I found there."

"I can't go with you tomorrow."

"I see. I will be fine without you." The fact that he did not feel the need to go only confirmed her suspicion that Kenshin's death was planned for the next day.

"I know. Take your katana anyways, just in case."

"Of course."

~~~…~~~

Kagome set out with her katana and a bit of food the next morning, just before dawn. Mitsuharu had said goodnight with a kiss the night before, a lingering one, and though it confused her feelings, she still had to find a way to protect her friend.

It wasn't for her to know that she would be too late.

That evening, Kagome followed the scent of blood into the forest and found Kenshin clutching Tomoe's body.

"Himura?"

The man looked up, rage and sorrow in his eyes. "If you are from the shogunate, just kill me."

"I am not here to kill you."

Kenshin's sight and hearing had returned enough to realize that there was something familiar about the young woman, with the katana at her side. "Yasha-san?"

"Kenshin-san, what happened?"

He couldn't tell her. He only held Tomoe's cold body closer and took in the scent of her white plum perfume.

It took Kagome several hours to get Kenshin to leave his wife and return home.

Kagome had enough of digging graves. For Kanaye, for the other soldiers and now for Tomoe, the beautiful young woman that had known her secret from the start. It was too much.

She buried the woman and left the enemy to rot. She had someone else to worry about.

Kagome made soup and tea – anything she could think of to try to get him to eat. He refused all but the occasional warm tea. As it grew colder every evening, Kagome had to wrap the man in a blanket to keep him warm. He would not move, just sat in front of the fire pit that Kagome struggled to keep lit. On occasion, Kagome would try to initiate conversation – about anything, it mattered not. She would ask if he was curious why she disguised herself, she would tell him a little of her friends from the past.

Kenshin was nonresponsive. After a week passed, Kagome caught word of Katsura Kogoro returning. She sent two letters, one to Masa and Yukio, the other to Takasugi Shinsaku. She figured if anyone knew where Katsura was, it was Takasugi. She begged for Katsura to come to his hitokiri.

The letter to Masa was different.

"_Our newlywed friend is sick. Bring any medicine you can. His wife has also died. The medicine man got to them._

_His home is off the main road, three miles north of Kyoto. Come quickly._

_Kagome._"

After another week, she went to the inn in Kyoto where she had stayed. She took an extra set of Kenshin's clothes as he was still in the blood-stained ones that he had fought in and would not mind. It was hard leaving the broken hitokiri behind, but it was necessary, as was leaving Tetsusaiga with him – the sword was too recognizable. When she left, she took medicine for the old man's joints.

"A miko asked me to bring these to you."

"A miko? Where is she?" Kagome found herself against a wall, with Mitsuharu holding her there. She'd not even known the man was around.

"I don't know. She was in the south. You must be Mitsuharu-san. She spoke of you." Yasha's heart pounded, feelings confused by the man holding him against the wall.

"Of me? Why would she speak of me to you?" Mitsuharu let Yasha drop back to the ground.

"She wanted to thank you for your kindness and apologize for not being able to return."

"Why can't she return?"

"You would kill her, she said. She betrayed you and you would kill her." And back up against the wall with a hard shove.

"I would never kill her. I loved her."

"She said that she is Ishin Shishi." Kagome felt a flash of longing and pain at Mitsuharu's words.

This time, when Mitsuharu let go, Yasha moved so that he was not trapped against a wall. "Ishin Shishi?"

"Yes."

"The bastards are using female spies?"

"No. She did it on her own, then disguised herself as a man to give the information to the Ishin Shishi."

"And how do you know so much about it?"

Kagome smiled at him and there was a sudden flare of recognition. "Goodbye, Mitsuharu-san."

Mitsuharu was fast, but he couldn't move through the crowds as easily as she could. Kagome dodged in and out of people until she was in a burned section of town. She hid in a burned out building for an hour, but didn't hear anyone coming for her. She didn't sense Mitsuharu anywhere near.

It was a long afternoon as she walked back to Kenshin's house. It was snowing.

She could have loved that man, she mused as she walked. For all that he was Shinsengumi, he was a good man. He would have loved her and cared for her in the best way that he could, but it was not meant to be. She would have to bury the affection she felt or suffer for it.

When she arrived at Kenshin's hut, she could hear someone speaking.

"I want you… to make your heart blood-thirsty… and wield the sword… that soars the heavens."

Katsura was sitting across from Kenshin when Kagome slipped into his hut. The children outside peeped in.

"Can you come play with us? Not today either?"

"We're going to fly kites! Even though it's snowing."

"I see, I'm interrupting. I'll come again tomorrow," Katsura said.

"Katsura-san, you are interrupting nothing," Yasha told him quietly. Katsura shot him a curious look.

"I understand," the broken hitokiri finally said. He stood. "If I abandon the sword now, all the lives I've taken will be for nothing."

"Kenshin-san," Yasha said, putting out a hand. "You can rest and I will do as he asks."

"No. Tomoe taught me the many small happinesses that people live for. Until there can be an age lit up by these small happinesses, I will wield the sword. But, when the new age comes… at that time…"

"… You'll _throw away_ your sword?"

"… I don't know. But I'll never kill again."

Both Yasha and Katsura watched as Kenshin stood in the doorway of his hut. The children had left.

"Katsura-san, send me with him. Two men are enough to be mobile. Masa and Yukio can watch our backs and we will wield our swords for you."

"Yes," Yukio said. They had arrived just in time to hear that. "As a team, we are small enough to be silent and mobile."

Katsura looked at the four of them as Yasha, Masa and Yukio took their places around Kenshin, putting themselves between the hitokiri and Katsura as a mother deer might place itself between its young and a wolf.

"Yes. At this time, I think that might be for the best."

At that moment, Yasha – Kagome – dedicated herself to protecting the delicate red-headed swordsman. He might be one of the best swordsmen living, but he was broken and she wasn't sure he could be safe on his own. As Tomoe had told him months before, he needed a sheath to hold his madness.

~~~…~~~

This was hastily written. I am a terrible author and have not updated this in two years, so when I decided that was too long, I had to finish the chapter immediately.

I hope those of you that read this enjoy it. We're getting towards the end of the Bakumatsu, though there are several more events that will take place in that era. This is one of my darker stories, or at least it feels that way to me. It's not very cheerful at least.


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